Exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) during early childhood is a challenge for individuals because of the possibilities of the negative implications that may follow along such as developmental concerns. One of the main issues that may develop due to this type of exposure is faulty attachment types to caregivers. These types of attachments can then lead to problematic behaviors exhibited by the child. For the purposes of this paper, early childhood is defined as children under the ages of six.
IPV is defined as any act of aggression including physical violence, sexual violence, stalking and psychological aggression demonstrated by a current or former partner in which the relationship was intimate. An intimate partner is defined as a person
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Additionally, those children just so happen to generally witness the most violent of the physical abuse cases. Moreover, in their study, they found that of the domestic violence events (DVE), 87% were exhibited by a male perpetrator and involved a female victim. If a mother is enduring abuse, she may be exhibiting disrupted behavior when caring for her child. Disruptive behavior is defined as unpredictable forms of communication and caretaking shown by the caregiver towards the infant or child. In a study my Nicklas and Mackenzie (2013), they found that mothers who reported IPV that was perpetrated by the father of their children, those mothers were two times as likely to have also reported some neglectful parenting in the 3rd year of their child’s …show more content…
Furthermore, when taking a closer look into gender, females tended to score higher for internalizing behavior outcomes whereas being male predicts higher externalizing behavior outcomes. External behaviors are behaviors that are directed externally, usually directed at the environment or the people around them. Common externalizing behaviors include hitting, stealing, and using profanity. On the other hand, internal behavior is defined as behaviors that occur within the individual. Common internalizing behaviors include withdrawal, somatic symptoms, and