A three-fold exploratory study was conducted to examine the current literature regarding the effects of spousal abuse on observing children, evaluate children's programs within battered women's shelters, and propose a model children's program designed to meet children's needs. Based on the literature and the children's programs currently existing,…

Human Options is a non-profit social service agency in Orange County, California which provides services for battered women and their families. This study: assessed the outcomes for graduates of its programs; obtained consumer evaluations of the agency's services; measured the needs for aftercare services; and assessed how the children of program…

Compares the rate of physical abuse of children and spouses from a 1975 study with rates from a 1985 replication. The 1985 rates were substantially lower than in 1975. Possible reasons for the lower rates are examined and evaluated. (Author/ABB)

Utilizes sheltered battered women (n=60) and their 7- to 12-year-old children and nonsheltered women (n=61) and their children, to examine the potential moderating effects of maternal parenting stress on children's adjustment in homes with varying levels of domestic violence. Results indicate that children's adjustment was predicted by parenting…

Evaluated behavior problems and social competence in 198 children, 4-16 years old, from violent and nonviolent families. Mothers rated children's behavior and completed measures of family violence and maternal stress. Children of battered women were rated significantly higher in behavior problems and lower in social competence than were controls.…

Investigates why some caretakers act to protect their children from domestic violence while others show passivity. Two themes emerged through interviews with 26 women victims of domestic violence who had children: adultification of children, and psychological traps involving the batterer's role in the children's lives. Intervention recommendations…

This practicum took place at a spouse abuse shelter located in a county classified as urban in the southeast United States. It was found that once a family left the shelter, support groups were not available to help the children with feelings related to living in a home where domestic violence has occurred. Most of these children were already…

Two studies examined racial differences in regard to childhood sexual experiences and the proportion of wife abuse reported by black and white women. The first study examined the childhood sexual experiences of women (N=501) and the relationship of these experiences to their adult functioning. A majority of women (55%) reported having some type of…

One of the reasons why so few parents question the wisdom of "spare the rod and spoil the child" and why so few researchers have investigated the potential adverse effects, is probably the culturally accepted assumption that, when done "in moderation," physical punishment is harmless and sometimes necessary. This study starts from assumptions that…

Describes behavioral signs of family violence (i.e., child abuse, wife abuse), assessment techniques, and implications for counselors. (BL)

Nonoffending mothers' (n=99) self-reported symptom distress was measured across 3 groups of sexual abuse types: incest, relative, and nonrelative. A multiple regression analysis of psychosocial characteristics indicated that a mother's perceived aloneness in facing the crisis and a personal history of adult sexual assault were positively related…

Posttraumatic stress symptoms of 64 children were assessed by their mothers who had experienced abuse during the past year. Of the children exposed to violence 13% experienced posttraumatic stress disorder, 52% suffered from intrusive and unwanted remembering of the traumatic event(s), 19% displayed traumatic avoidance, and 42% experienced…

Compared individual and familial adjustment of 40 battered women and their children with that of 40 community families. Abused women were much more distressed than were community women. Found significant differences between children on internalizing and externalizing subscales of the Child Behavior Checklist. Found no between-group differences in…

This workshop coordinates with the publication of a volume of "The Future of Children." The goal of the workshop is to bring together researchers, policymakers, health providers, and law enforcement to review available research literature on children and domestic violence. Topics that were addressed include prevalence and effect of…

This paper begins by reviewing literature relevant to the history of children of battered women and difficulties in defining domestic violence. Major attempts to explain the behavioral profile of children of battered women include issues related to family characteristics and patterns; effects of family violence on children; links between marital…