Abstract
Physical and psychological IPV often co-occur, and are both potential risk factors for child adjustment problems; however, their joint relation with child adjustment problems is not well understood. The current study examined whether previous physical IPV augmented the relation between current psychological IPV and child threat appraisals and child internalizing symptoms. Participants were 506 children aged 7-10 (Mage = 8.49; 48% female) and their mothers (Mage = 36.32) recruited from the community. Children reported on IPV between mothers and mothers’ partners, child threat appraisals, and child internalizing symptoms. Mothers reported on child internalizing symptoms. Previous physical IPV, conceptualized based on its frequency, diminished the relation between current psychological IPV and child threat appraisals, but did not interact with current psychological IPV to predict mother- or child-reported internalizing symptoms. In exploratory analyses, previous physical IPV, conceptualized based on its harmfulness, diminished the relation between current psychological IPV and child threat appraisals. In addition, physical and psychological IPV exhibited additive effects with child-reported internalizing symptoms. The findings suggests that researchers, clinicians, and legal service providers should consider the unique risk posed by physical and psychological IPV, as well as the moderating role of contextual factors.
Degree Date
Fall 12-19-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Psychology
Advisor
Ernest Jouriles
Second Advisor
George Holden
Third Advisor
Renee McDonald
Fourth Advisor
David Rosenfield
Number of Pages
81
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Gower, Tricia, "Psychological Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Child Adjustment in a Context of Previous Physical IPV" (2020). Psychology Theses and Dissertations. 25.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_psychology_etds/25
