Children's physical health complaints after exposure to intimate partner violence
Authors: Lamers‐Winkelman Francien , Schipper J. Clasien De , Oosterman Mirjam 
Published: April 2012

Objectives. A clear association between exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and children's physical health is still not well determined, because adverse effects might be explained by the confounding detrimental effects of other traumatic experiences. This study investigated whether children exposed to IPV have higher risks for physical health complaints compared to children in a general population sample. Second, health complaint differences were explored between IPV witnesses and those who in addition experienced other forms of abuse or neglect.

Design. Risk estimates for 21 everyday physical health complaints were made for children exposed to IPV compared to a general population sample using odds ratios.

Methods. Primary caregivers of 275 child witnesses of IPV (6–12 years of age) referred to several specialized mental health or child welfare institutes throughout the Netherlands (2004–2009) reported on children's somatic complaints using 21 items of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) reflecting sleeping, eating, pain complaints, and self‐harm.

Results. Compared to a population sample (n= 903), child witnesses more often experienced health complaints, in particular, more eating, sleeping, and pain problems and more self‐harm. Few differences in health complaints were found between child witnesses with and without additional adverse experiences of maltreatment.

Conclusions. The degree of physical health complaints in children exposed to IPV is considerable, whether or not they were also victims of other forms of abuse. Early attention to everyday health complaints in children exposed to IPV might prevent more serious health problems in adolescence and adulthood.

Statement of Contribution

What is already known on this subject?

Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) increases the likelihood of underimmunization and risk taking behaviours during adolescence, but a clear association between exposure to IPV and children's physical health, such as general health outcomes, use of health services or health complaints is still not well determined (Bair‐Merritt, Blackstone, & Feudtner, 2006).

A recent study showed a relationship between (any) childhood adversities and somatic complaints and serious illnesses at age 12 (Flaherty et al. 2009).

Studies have shown that co‐occurrence of IPV and child physical abuse or neglect in children ranges between 30% to 60% (Casanueva, Martin, & Runyan, 2009; Edleson, 1999; Herrenkohl, Sousa, Tajima, Herrenkohl, & Moylan, 2008) indicating that so called effects of IPV may be explained by the confounding detrimental effects of other traumatic experiences.

What does this study add?

This study indicates that in middle childhood, a diverse set of everyday health complaints may become manifest in IPV exposed children.

The degree of somatic complaints in the domain of eating, sleeping, aches and pains, and self‐harm in these children is considerable.

In general, our results indicate no cumulative risk for health complaints for child witnesses who were also victims of other forms of abuse and neglect.