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Early developmental vulnerabilities following exposure to domestic violence and abuse: Findings from an Australian population cohort record linkage study

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dc.contributor.authorWhitten, T.
dc.contributor.authorGreen, M.J.
dc.contributor.authorTzoumakis, S.
dc.contributor.authorLaurens, K.R.
dc.contributor.authorHarris, F.
dc.contributor.authorCarr, V.J.
dc.contributor.authorDean, K.
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractEarly life exposure to Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) is associated with poor psychosocial and cognitive development in childhood. However, most prior research uses mother-reported involvement in DVA as a proxy indicator of child exposure; studies using direct measures of child exposure to DVA are scarce, especially among representative population-based samples. We address this gap by using longitudinal, population-based data from an Australian record linkage study of children to examine the associations between early life exposure to DVA and early childhood developmental vulnerability. Exposure to DVA was measured using police contact records for children involved in a DVA incident either as a victim or witness. Developmental vulnerability at school entry was measured using the Australian Early Development Census, providing indices of five broad domains of function and person-centred classes of developmental risk (referred to as ‘mild generalized risk’, ‘misconduct risk’, and ‘pervasive risk’, each compared to a group showing ‘no risk’). Children exposed to DVA showed significantly greater odds of developmental vulnerability on all five domains and were more likely to be members of the three developmental risk classes. Girls who were victims of DVA (OR = 1.65) had significantly poorer developmental outcomes than boys who were victims (OR = 1.26) within the domain of communication skills and general knowledge (d = 0.29 [SE = 0.16], p = .04). No other sex differences were found. These preliminary findings hold important implications for policy regarding the early intervention and implementation of support services for young children exposed to DVA.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityTyson Whitten, Melissa J. Green, Stacy Tzoumakis, Kristin R. Laurens, Felicity Harris, Vaughan J. Carr, Kimberlie Dean
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Psychiatric Research, 2022; 153:223-228
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.07.012
dc.identifier.issn0022-3956
dc.identifier.issn1879-1379
dc.identifier.orcidWhitten, T. [0000-0001-8391-1990]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/136823
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP110100150
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP170101403
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT170100294
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE210100113
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058652
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1148055
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1133833
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1175408
dc.rights© 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.07.012
dc.subjectDomestic violence abuse; Child development; Developmental vulnerability; Police contact
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshChild Development
dc.subject.meshMothers
dc.subject.meshDomestic Violence
dc.subject.meshChild Abuse
dc.subject.meshChild
dc.subject.meshChild, Preschool
dc.subject.meshAustralia
dc.subject.meshFemale
dc.subject.meshMale
dc.titleEarly developmental vulnerabilities following exposure to domestic violence and abuse: Findings from an Australian population cohort record linkage study
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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