Parenting interventions for children exposed to intimate partner violence

Children exposed to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) are at risk for enduring mental health problems that are similar to the sequelae of child maltreatment. Victimized parents also are at risk for significant mental health problems that can impair parenting. The co-occurrence of child maltreatment and IPV is significant. Robust research supports parenting programs in preventing and ameliorating the effects of child maltreatment. This evidence-based practice project aims to answer the question "What is the evidence supporting a particular parenting program for children exposed to IPV and the resulting child mental health outcomes?" The evidence does support the use of parenting programs for IPV-exposed children exhibiting clinical levels of emotional or behavioral problems. The culmination of this project is the creation of six recommendations for clinical practice based on the quality of the available evidence. The interventions with the highest level evidence are identified and incorporated into the overall recommendations for clinical practice. Intervention themes that emerged during the analysis are incorporated into the evidence-based recommendations. Areas for further research, implications for clinical practice and implications for nursing education are discussed