Article Summary
Johnson, V.K., and Lieberman, A.F. July 2007.
Variations in behavior problems of preschoolers exposed to domestic violence: The role of mothers' attunement to children's emotional experiences. Journal of Family Violence 22(5):297–308
The authors attempted to identify the aspects of family relationships that may protect young children from the pathogenic effects of family violence. The study focused on 30 preschool-aged children whose mothers had been physically abused by their partner, investigating the association between children externalizing and internalizing behavior problems based on the quality of the mother–child relationship and the mother’s attunement to her child’s sad and angry emotions. The authors not only look at observable interactions between mother and child but also the role of the mother’s perceptions about her parenting. The study recognizes the effects of posttraumatic stress reactions to being battered and as a result of a decrease in parent availability. The study shows a variation in child behavior problems can be related in preschool aged children who have witnessed domestic violence.
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