Examining parenting quality and dyad interactions between female CPS- and/or court-involved partner violence survivors and their young children using observational methods

Mothers who are intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors are often mandated to parenting services by child protection services (CPS) and/or the courts. Unfortunately, there is limited research regarding the parenting needs and strengths of these system-involved IPV survivors, and existing research tends to rely on self-report parenting data. The purpose of this study was to: (a) assess the feasibility and acceptability of collecting observational data from system-involved mothers who are IPV survivors and have been mandated to a parenting program, (b) assess the feasibility of the Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale (KIPS) in this context, (c) examine the parenting strengths and needs of these IPV survivors, and (d) explore associations between self-report and observational measures of parenting. Among eligible mothers, 49% (n = 25) participated. Observational and self-report data collected at program entry indicated positive parenting. Although associations between KIPS and self-report measures of parenting were low, the KIPS has the potential to be useful tool for assessing parent-child interactions in the context of IPV services.