Co-Occurrence of Intimate Partner Violence Against Mothers and Maltreatment of Their Children With Behavioral Problems in Eastern Europe

Antonia Brühl; Catherine L Ward; Jamie M Lachman; Heather M Foran; Marija Raleva; Adriana Baban; Nina Heinrichs

doi:10.1177/10778012231188090

Co-Occurrence of Intimate Partner Violence Against Mothers and Maltreatment of Their Children With Behavioral Problems in Eastern Europe

Violence Against Women. 2023 Oct;29(12-13):2439-2463. doi: 10.1177/10778012231188090. Epub 2023 Jul 20.

Authors

Antonia Brühl¹, Catherine L Ward², Jamie M Lachman^{3

4

5}, Heather M Foran⁶, Marija Raleva⁷, Adriana Baban⁸, Nina Heinrichs¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
² Department of Psychology and Safety and Violence Initiative, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Western Cape, South Africa.
³ Centre for Evidence-Based Intervention, Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁴ MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
⁵ Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Western Cape, South Africa.
⁶ Department of Health Psychology, University of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria.
⁷ Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, University of Skopje, Skopje, North Macedonia.
⁸ Department of Psychology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj County, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Abstract

This study investigates the co-occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) against mothers and their risk of perpetrating child maltreatment (CM) in North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, and Romania. Risk factors for IPV, CM, and their co-occurrence were identified. Two samples (N₁= 112, N₂= 701) of mothers with children with behavioral problems were assessed. IPV was reported by 64% of mothers, CM by 96%, and their co-occurrence by 63%. Mothers exposed to emotional IPV reported more physical and emotional CM. Mothers exposed to physical IPV reported more physical CM. Motheŕs own history of CM and offspring's behavior problems were associated with IPV and CM co-occurrence.

Keywords: Eastern Europe; child maltreatment; family violence; intimate partner violence; low-and middle-income countries.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child
Child Abuse* / psychology
Europe, Eastern
Female
Humans
Intimate Partner Violence* / psychology
Mothers / psychology
Problem Behavior*