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Article Summary

Cohen, E. 2007.
More than meets the eye: Lifetime exposure to violence in immigrant families. Protecting Children 22(2):55–66. Available online for a fee at http://www.americanhumane.org.

This article begins with an introduction to the author Elena P. Cohen, director of the Safe Start Center which is a program devoted to helping children who have been exposed to violence. She explains how meeting the needs of immigrant families is a unique problem, especially in the area of child care, and that we need better assessment tools for identifying child exposure to violence. She also asks us to keep in mind the context of exposure—that is, the child’s age, developmental stage, gender, culture, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and religious and community affiliation. The author also stresses the importance of early action to prevent and better treat the negative effects of exposure to violence. She discusses how violence affects parents, parenting, and children’s development, pointing out that being exposed to violence as a child has a significant impact on a child’s brain development, increasing hyperactivity, sleep quality, aggression levels, and developmental stages. Children exposed to intimate partner violence are at a much higher risk of certain mental health problems such as attachment disorders, depression, speech and anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The author stresses the importance of communicating with the families and allowing them to “tell their stories” so they can better articulate their situation, as well as to forge a closer relationship with them. She suggests that for immigrant families, the child welfare system can be improved through an assessment of the child’s lifetime exposure to violence. Additionally, the author says, it is through the cooperation and coordination of service providers, as well as establishment of a healthy relationship with the families, that will ultimately prove to be most beneficial.