Ellen R. DeVoe

Community-Based Intervention for Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: An Efficacy Trial.

A community-based intervention program was tested with 181 children ages 6-12 and their mothers exposed to intimate partner violence during the past year. A sequential assignment procedure allocated participants to 3 conditions: child-only intervention, child-plus-mother intervention (CM), and a wait-list comparison. A 2-level hierarchical linear model consisting of repeated observations within individuals and individuals assigned to conditions was used to evaluate the effects of time from baseline to postintervention comparing the 3 conditions and from postintervention to 8-month follow-up for both intervention conditions. Outcomes were individual childrens externalizing and internalizing behavior problems and attitudes about violence. Of the 3 conditions, CM children showed the greatest improvement over time in externalizing problems and attitudes about violence. There were 79% fewer children with clinical range externalizing scores and 77% fewer children with clinical range internalizing scores from baseline to follow-up for CM children.

Ecological Predictors of Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Caucasian and Ethnic Minority Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence

Traumatic stress symptoms were assessed for 218 children ages 5 to 13 following exposure to intimate partner violence: 33% of Caucasian and 17% of minority children were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder. A risk and protective factors model was used to predict traumatic stress symptoms. For Caucasian children, the best predictors were mothers’ mental health and low self-esteem. For minority children, the amount of violence, mothers’ low self-esteem, and low income predicted traumatic stress. Social support to the mother, inclusive of friends, relatives, and religion, was a protective element. Implications for assessment and intervention are discussed in light of each group’s experiences.

When a Parent Goes to War: Effects of Parental Deployment on Very Young Children and Implications for Intervention

Young children (birth through 5 years of age) are disproportionately represented in U.S. military families with a deployed parent. Because of their developmental capacity to deal with prolonged separation, young children can be especially vulnerable to stressors of parental deployment. Despite the resiliency of many military families, this type of separation can constitute a developmental crisis for a young child. Thus, the experience may compromise optimal child growth and development. This article reviews what is known about the effects of the military deployment cycle on young children, including attachment patterns, intense emotions, and behavioral changes and suggests an ecological approach for supporting military families with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Specifically, home-based family focused interventions seem to warrant the most serious consideration.

The parenting cycle of deployment

Parents of dependent children comprise approximately 42% of Active Duty and National Guard/Reserve military members serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom. Recent estimates indicate that more than two million children have experienced parental deployment since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This article seeks to characterize the impact of the deployment life cycle on parenting roles among service members and at-home partners/caregivers of dependent children. Specifically, a new conceptual framework is presented for considering the ways in which parenting and co-parenting processes are affected by the demands and transitions inherent in contemporary deployment to a war zone. Although the phase-based emotional cycle of deployment continues to offer an instructive description of the broad challenges faced by military couples, a parenting cycle of deployment model shifts the perspective to the critical and largely ignored processes of parenting in the context of deployment and war, and to the realities faced by parents serving in the U.S. military. Implications for prevention, intervention, and future research related to military families are addressed.

Don't Take My Kids: Barriers to Service Delivery for Battered Mothers and Their Young Children

SUMMARY Using focus group methodology, we explored experiences of and barriers to help-seeking among battered mothers of children under six years of age. Forty-three women who had experienced recent domestic violence from diverse socio-economic backgrounds participated in a series of focus groups. The findings suggest that women perceived punitive consequences upon reporting domestic violence, declined to seek services out of fear of child removal, and encountered few, if any, appropriate services for their young children exposed to domestic violence. The inherent tensions in practice philosophies among battered womens advocates and child protective services are discussed with specific attention to the conceptualization of exposure to domestic violence as a form of child abuse (i.e., neglect, failure to protect, emotional abuse). Implications for service delivery and policy are suggested.

Mediators and Moderators of Change in Adjustment Following Intervention for Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence

Children aged 6 to 12 who were exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) within the last year participated in an intervention program found to be successful in reducing their internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. However, little is known about factors that may contribute to this efficacy. Both fixed and modifiable risk factors that predicted change in children’s adjustment after the intervention were identified and tested. There was a significant relationship between the extent of exposure to IPV, gender, change in mothers’ mental health, and change in child adjustment. Among fixed factors, length of exposure to violence was found to moderate the relationship between the amount of the child’s and mother’s participation in the intervention and change in child adjustment, specifically internalizing behavioral problems. Among the modifiable risk factors, change in mother’s mental health, specifically symptoms of posttraumatic stress, was found to mediate the relationship between the amount of intervention participation and change in child adjustment. These findings can be used to inform and enhance evidence-based clinical services for children exposed to IPV.

YOUNG CHILDREN'S RESPONSES TO SEPTEMBER 11TH: THE NEW YORK CITY EXPERIENCE

Although the knowledge base regarding very young childrens responses to trauma has been expanding, descriptions of their responses to terrorism remain sparse. Yet, their vulnerability makes this an important group to study. Recent events in the United States (9/11, Hurricane Katrina) make this question highly relevant. This study aims to provide extensive descriptions of how children 5 years or younger on September 11th who were living in close proximity to Ground Zero responded that day and in the following months. Sixty-seven New York City parents (with 104 children) participated in focus groups between November 2001 and May 2002. Focus groups also provided a foundation for an in-depth study examining young childrens adaptation following 9/11 and changes in parenting behaviors after the disaster. Findings on childrens behavioral and emotional reactions on 9/11 and in the 8 months after as well as their need to return to normalcy are reported. Consistent with current understanding of trauma symptoms in young children, parents reported behaviors including chronic sleep disruptions, fearful reactions, development of new fears, and increased clinginess and separation anxiety following the disaster. On the actual day, childrens responses were described as ranging from calm and cooperative to difficult and panicky. Implications for working with parents and young children affected by terrorism or community-level trauma and directions for future research are discussed.

Psychological Impact of Terrorism on Children and Families in the United States

Summary This article reviews the literature on the psychological impact of terrorism on children and families in the United States. It includes studies of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York City and the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, as well as the September 11 attacks. These studies explore the impact of various forms and degrees of exposure to terrorism on children across the development spectrum and on the relationships between parental and child reactions. The article concludes with a framework for future research on childrens adaptation following mass trauma.

Exposure to terrorism and Israeli youths' psychological distress and alcohol use: an exploratory study

This study examined the associations between physical and psychological proximity to terrorist attacks and post-traumatic symptoms (PTS), depressive symptoms, and alcohol use among Israeli youth. Self-administered questionnaires were completed under anonymous conditions by 1,150 high and junior high school students (51.3% boys and 48.7% girls) in a town in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Standardized, validated scales were used to measure psychological symptoms and alcohol use. High levels of exposure to terrorism were reported. Physical and psychological proximity to terrorist attacks were associated with more PTS symptoms and alcohol consumption. Physical proximity was also associated with symptoms of depression. The implications of terror-associated early drinking for later alcohol problems should be explored.

Measurement Issues in Child Maltreatment and Family Violence Prevention Programs

In this article, the authors provide an overview of measurement issues relevant to monitoring and evaluation of child maltreatment and family violence prevention programs. This review originally was developed for use in a family violence prevention program in a military setting but can be adapted to similar programs, such as early intervention and family support efforts, that seek to prevent maltreatment and enhance family well-being. The multiple purposes of measurement, including use as screening, clinical assessment, or outcome tools, are discussed. Guidelines for selecting appropriate domains for evaluation are discussed, and specific information on a sampling of instruments is provided, including standardized measures of family and child well-being, parenting, stress and coping, and family violence. Suggestions for measures of key individual and family constructs are included.