Addressing Intimate Partner Violence and Child Maltreatment: Challenges and Opportunities

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health issue existing in most countries, occurring across all demographic, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic lines. Women of child-bearing age are at the highest risk of IPV. The prevalence and severity of IPV is higher in couples with children, and the prevalence of IPV is disproportionately high in families with young children. Women and their children overwhelmingly bear the burden of morbidity and mortality from IPV. Research has documented the harmful effects of childhood exposure to IPV and a pervasive link between IPV and child maltreatment (CM). The complex nature of such overlap requires explication, and this chapter provides a foundation for understanding the relation between IPV and CM, and the developmental consequences for children exposed to both forms of family violence. Specifically, an overview of related epidemiology will be discussed, as well as the latest research on the impact of child exposure to IPV. A discussion of the comorbidity of IPV and CM will be presented at length, with attention to cultural considerations including structural racism. The chapter will conclude with recommendations for further avenues of research as well as policy implications.