Intimate Partner Violence and Child Maltreatment: Overlapping Risk

Studies of intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment (CM) have examined the association between IPV and physical abuse. Children in homes with IPV may also experience other forms of CM. The objective is to determine the prevalence of CM in homes with and without IPV using cross-sectional analysis of survey data of mothers with partners (n = 1,232). The Conflict Tactics Scale and Parent Child Conflict Tactics Scale were used to determine IPV, physical, psychological, sexual abuse, and neglect. Mothers reporting IPV (either man to woman or woman to man) report 2.57 times the odds of physical abuse compared to those not reporting IPV (95% CI 1.11-5.97). Moms reporting IPV report 2.04 times the odds of neglect. Those reporting IPV report 9.58 times the odds of psychological abuse (95% CI 4.27-21.49). Mothers reporting IPV report 4.90 times the odds of sexual abuse (95% CI 0.43-55.67). IPV is associated with all forms of CM in this sample. Providers of IPV services for women with children should also assess for all forms of child maltreatment.