A Template Analysis of Intimate Partner Violence Survivors’ Experiences of Animal Maltreatment: Implications for Safety Planning and Intervention

This study explores the intersection of intimate partner violence (IPV) and animal cruelty in an ethnically diverse sample of 103 pet-owning IPV survivors recruited from community-based domestic violence programs. Template analysis revealed five themes: (a) Animal Maltreatment by Partner as a Tactic of Coercive Power and Control, (b) Animal Maltreatment by Partner as Discipline or Punishment of Pet, (c) Animal Maltreatment by Children, (d) Emotional and Psychological Impact of Animal Maltreatment Exposure, and (e) Pets as an Obstacle to Effective Safety Planning. Results demonstrate the potential impact of animal maltreatment exposure on women and child IPV survivors’ health and safety

Children exposed to intimate partner violence: Identifying differential effects of family environment on children\u27s trauma and psychopathology symptoms through regression mixture models

The majority of analytic approaches aimed at understanding the influence of environmental context on children\u27s socioemotional adjustment assume comparable effects of contextual risk and protective factors for all children. Using self-reported data from 289 maternal caregiver-child dyads, we examined the degree to which there are differential effects of severity of intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure, yearly household income, and number of children in the family on posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) and psychopathology symptoms (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems) among school-age children between the ages of 7–12 years. A regression mixture model identified three latent classes that were primarily distinguished by differential effects of IPV exposure severity on PTS and psychopathology symptoms: (1) asymptomatic with low sensitivity to environmental factors (66% of children), (2) maladjusted with moderate sensitivity (24%), and (3) highly maladjusted with high sensitivity (10%). Children with mothers who had higher levels of education were more likely to be in the maladjusted with moderate sensitivity group than the asymptomatic with low sensitivity group. Latino children were less likely to be in both maladjusted groups compared to the asymptomatic group. Overall, the findings suggest differential effects of family environmental factors on PTS and psychopathology symptoms among children exposed to IPV. Implications for research and practice are discussed

Children\u27s experiences of companion animal maltreatment in households characterized by intimate partner violence

Cruelty toward companion animals is a well-documented, coercive tactic used by abusive partners to intimidate and control their intimate partners. Experiences of co-occurring violence are common for children living in families with intimate partner violence (IPV) and surveys show that more than half are also exposed to abuse of their pets. Given children\u27s relationships with their pets, witnessing such abuse may be traumatic for them. Yet little is known about the prevalence and significance of this issue for children. The present study examines the experiences of children in families with co-occurring pet abuse and IPV. Using qualitative methods, 58 children ages 7–12 who were exposed to IPV were asked to describe their experiences of threats to and harm of their companion animals. Following the interviews, template analysis was employed to systematically develop codes and themes. Coding reliability was assessed using Randolph\u27s free-marginal multirater kappa (kfree = .90). Five themes emerged from the qualitative data, the most common being children\u27s exposure to pet abuse as a power and control tactic against their mother in the context of IPV. Other themes were animal maltreatment to discipline or punish the pet, animal cruelty by a sibling, children intervening to prevent pet abuse, and children intervening to protect the pet during a violent episode. Results indicate that children\u27s experiences of pet abuse are multifaceted, potentially traumatic, and may involve multiple family members with diverse motives

Profiles of Risk, Protection, and Socioemotional Adjustment Among Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: A Person-Centered Approach

A substantial body of literature documents that exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) in childhood is associated with a host of negative developmental consequences. Research in this area has also identified several interconnected risk and protective factors that contribute to heterogeneity in adjustment among children exposed to IPV. To date, few studies have applied person-centered frameworks to empirically examine patterns of risk, protection, and resilience in this population. Using person-centered statistical techniques, the current research aimed to (a) advance knowledge of patterns of socioemotional functioning among children exposed to IPV, (b) extend knowledge of risk and protective factors among children exposed to IPV, and (c) explore differential effects of risk and protective factors on psychosocial outcomes among children exposed to IPV. Participants included 291 maternal caregiver-child dyads recruited from 22 community-based domestic violence agencies. Study results identified three latent profiles of socioemotional functioning among children in the sample that differed in patterns of attention problems, social problems, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, empathy and callous/unemotional traits. Latino ethnicity, multi-racial/ethnic identity, exposure to animal cruelty, and the child’s relationship to the abusive partner emerged as predictors that significantly distinguished between children with resilient (66%), struggling (28%), and severely maladjusted (6%) patterns of adjustment. Results also identified five distinct profiles of risk, protection, and resilience among children in the sample that were differentiated by diverging patterns of developmental competence and frequency of exposure to IPV. Yearly household income, maternal education, number of children in the household, and the child’s relationship to the abusive partner were significantly associated with risk/protection profile membership. Finally, three latent classes that differed in the effects of severity of IPV exposure, yearly household income, and number of children in the household on internalizing and externalizing behavior problems and posttraumatic stress symptoms were identified and labeled as follows: maladjusted children with moderate sensitivity to the family environment (24%), highly maladjusted children with high sensitivity to the family environment (10%), and asymptomatic children with low sensitivity to the family environment (69%). Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future research, assessment, and adaptive interventions for families experiencing IPV

Mental Health and Behavioral Correlates of Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence and Concomitant Animal Abuse

The negative effects of children’s exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) have been reviewed extensively by scholars and include both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems as well as poor socioemotional development (e.g., Gewirtz & Edleson, 2007; Kuelbs, 2009). Recent research suggests that concomitant exposure to animal abuse occurring in families who have experienced IPV may be an additional risk factor for mental health problems and antisocial behavior in youth (e.g., Simmons & Lehmann, 2007). The current study had two goals: 1) to examine the prevalence of threats and harm to companion animals in homes characterized by IPV and 2) to compare the unique mental health and behavioral correlates of children’s exposure to IPV in the presence or absence of concomitant animal abuse. Participants included 47 mothers and their 7- to 12-year-old children who were receiving residential or non-residential services from a domestic violence agency and who reported owning a pet currently or within the past year. Mothers’ reports of partners’ perpetration of animal abuse and children’s exposure to animal abuse were derived from the Pet Treatment Survey (Ascione, 2011). Children’s callous/unemotional traits and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems were derived from maternal reports on the Inventory of Callous/Unemotional Traits (Frick, 2003) and standardized scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 2001), respectively, and rates of these indices were compared for youth who had or had not been exposed to concomitant animal abuse. Approximately 45% of mothers reported their partner had hurt or killed one of their pets, with 45% indicating their child had seen or heard pets hurt or killed in the home. Independent samples t-tests determined children of mothers who had reported their child had heard about or observed a pet being hurt or killed in their home had significantly higher mean rates of internalizing behavior problems compared to their non-exposed counterparts (t(45)= 2.36, p= .023). Independent samples t-tests also determined that children of mothers who reported their partner had hurt or killed one of their pets were characterized by significantly higher mean rates of externalizing behavior problems (t(45)= -2.01, p= .05) and higher mean rates of callous/unemotional traits (t(31.6)= -3.04, p= .005). This study’s results lend support to previous research linking children’s exposure to IPV and concomitant animal abuse to child mental health, behavior problems, and antisocial behavior. Our findings are supplemented with additional analyses linking animal abuse in the context of IPV with children’s self-reported severity of exposure to family violence and treatment of animals. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for social work educators and practitioners and illustrate how addressing human-animal relationships in childhood can inform therapeutic interventions to promote mental health and well-being of youth exposed to family violence

Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and Internalizing Symptoms: The Moderating Fffects of Positive Relationships with Pets and Animal Cruelty Exposure

Background It is estimated that more than half of children living in households where intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs are also exposed to animal cruelty (AC). Although prior research links bonds with pets with higher levels of socioemotional competence among school-age children, exposure to AC may negate the protective effects of pet ownership and/or exacerbate the potentially deleterious effect of IPV on children’s mental health. Objective The current study evaluates whether and to what extent the associations between exposure to IPV and several indicators of children’s mental health vary as a function of children’s positive engagement with pets and exposure to AC. Participants and Setting Participants included 204 children (aged 7–12 years; 47% female; 57% Latinx) and their maternal caregiver who were recruited from domestic violence agencies in a western U.S. state. Method Multiple moderation analysis evaluated whether the association between children’s exposure to IPV and internalizing and posttraumatic stress symptoms vary as a function of children’s positive engagement with pets and exposure to AC. Results Analyses revealed several moderation effects for positive engagement with pets (e.g., internalizing problems: [b = −.15, t(195) = −2.66, p = .008]; posttraumatic stress symptoms: [b = −.13, t(195) = −2.24, p = .026]), whereas exposure to AC only moderated the association between IPV and anxious/depressed symptoms (b = .32, t(195) = −2.41, p = .017). Conclusions These findings highlight the potential protective effects of positive engagement with pets and importance of screening for exposure to AC when engaging in trauma-informed work with children exposed to IPV

Children’s Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and their Social, School, and Activities Competence: Latent Profiles and Correlates

This study examined patterns of intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure and three domains of competence among 288 children recruited from community-based domestic violence agencies. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed to identify subgroups of children who differed based on levels of social, academic, and extracurricular competence and exposure to IPV. Five distinct latent profiles were identified: Frequent IPV Exposure-Low Activity Competence (39 % of children), Frequent IPV Exposure-Average Global Competence (31 % of children), Frequent IPV Exposure-High Global Competence (13 % of children), Low IPV Exposure-Compromised School Competence (11 % of children), and Low IPV Exposure-Compromised Global Competence (6 % of children). Covariates distinguished between the profiles (e.g., yearly household income, maternal education, number of children in the household) and the groups were characterized by statistically significant mean differences in total behavior problems. Implications for future research and community-based preventive intervention efforts are discussed

Intimate Partner Violence Survivors’ Reports of Their Children’s Exposure to Companion Animal Maltreatment: A Qualitative Study

Children living in households where intimate partner violence (IPV) is present are at increased risk of being exposed to concomitant maltreatment of companion animals. Recent research suggests that childhood exposure to maltreatment of companion animals is associated with compromised socioemotional well-being in childhood and adulthood. To date, there is a dearth of qualitative research examining how children experience animal maltreatment in the context of IPV. The current qualitative study explored the following research question in an ethnically diverse sample of IPV survivors: How do maternal caregivers convey the ways in which their children experience animal maltreatment in IPV-affected households? Sixty-five women with at least one child (age 7-12 years) were recruited from domestic violence agencies and described their child(ren)\u27s experiences of animal maltreatment in the home. Template analysis was used to analyze interview data (KALPHA = .90). Three themes emerged related to children\u27s experiences of animal maltreatment: (a) direct exposure to animal maltreatment and related threats, (b) emotional and behavioral responses to animal maltreatment exposure, and (c) animal maltreatment as coercive control of the child. Results suggest that children\u27s exposure to animal maltreatment is multifaceted and may exacerbate children\u27s risk of negative psychosocial outcomes in the context of co-occurring IPV. Intervention programs designed to assist children exposed to IPV should consider the extent of children\u27s awareness of the abuse of their pets and their strong and deleterious reactions to it