The direct and indirect effects of domestic violence on preschoolers’ intellectual functioning

This study examined the direct and indirect effects of domestic violence on preschoolers ’ intellectual functioning. The sample consisted of 100 women and their 3–5-year-old children (44 boys and 56 girls) recruited from the gen-eral community. Forty-three percent of mothers had experienced domestic violence within the last year, defined by at least one physically aggressive act by an intimate partner. Children who had witnessed domestic violence had significantly poorer verbal abilities than nonwitnesses after controlling for SES and child abuse, but there were no group differences on visual– spatial abilities. Domestic violence also indirectly affected both types of in-tellectual abilities through its impact on maternal depression and the intellec-tual quality of the home environment. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed, as well as the implications for interventions for young child witnesses. KEY WORDS: domestic violence; young children; cognitive development; intellectual devel-opment; family violence. Violence against women is now considered to be an important public health problem for women and their children. Browne (1993) reported that between 21 and 34 % of women in this country will be physically attacked by an intimate partner during their lifetime. In addition, approximatel