Intimate Partner Violence Effects on Children’s Academic Achievement: Results from a Nationally Representative Sample
Type
Objective: Research has established that children’s exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) is pervasive and can have long-term adverse outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of children’s exposure to IPV on their academic achievement. The hypothesis of the study is that IPV exposure will be negatively related to children’s reading comprehension and applied math scores.
Method: A sample of 507 8–10-year-old children from Wave 5 of the Fragile Families Wellbeing Study was utilized. IPV exposure was measured using the revised conflict tactics scale (CTS-2) and the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Academic Achievement was used to measure reading comprehension and applied math skills. A complex samples general linear model (CSGLM) was used to test the multivariate models.
Results: IPV was significantly negatively related to lower reading comprehension however, there was not a significant relationship in applied math scores.
Conclusions: This study offers a starting point in assessing the impact of children’s IPV exposure at a national level. Additional research is needed to further explore the relationship and impact of applied math skills by triangulating math assessments. The findings also highlight the need for practitioners to assess the effect of IPV exposure on children’s academic achievement.