Campbell Kristine A, Vargas-Whale Raquel, Olson Lenora M
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA.
Driscoll Children's Hospital, Corpus Christi, TX, USA.
J Interpers Violence. 2021 Feb;36(3-4):NP1193-1204NP. doi: 10.1177/0886260518754871. Epub 2018 Jan 24.
Children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) are at increased risk for health problems. The moment that a mother seeks services for or safety from IPV may be a window of opportunity to offer needed health care for her children. The objective of the study is to describe the perceptions of child health conditions and needs among mothers seeking services for or safety from IPV, and to compare the results in shelter- versus community-based samples. A cross-sectional survey of women with at least one child of age 3 to 11 years seeking services at an urban YWCA, which supports a residential IPV shelter and a community-based family justice center, was done between fall 2013 and winter 2014. Child health conditions were captured using the Children With Special Health Care Needs survey and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Prevalence of health conditions among IPV-exposed children was compared with population norms. Perceived child health and health needs in the residential versus community settings were compared. Women ( = 48) completed surveys related to 91 children. Special health care needs (25%) and behavioral health (52%) problems were significantly higher in our sample than in general populations. Almost one quarter (24%) of children had a current need for general medical care and almost one half (44%) had a current need for behavioral health care. No significant differences in child health conditions or needs between residential and community settings were observed. These findings extend prior research describing the health problems faced by children exposed to IPV by describing maternal perceptions of child health and need for health care in a critical moment of seeking help for IPV. Community agencies may use this window of opportunity to support child health and household safety.
遭受亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）的儿童出现健康问题的风险更高。母亲为IPV寻求服务或安全保障的那一刻，可能是为其子女提供所需医疗保健的一个机会窗口。本研究的目的是描述为IPV寻求服务或安全保障的母亲对儿童健康状况和需求的看法，并比较收容所样本和社区样本的结果。2013年秋季至2014年冬季，对在城市基督教女青年会寻求服务的至少有一名3至11岁子女的妇女进行了横断面调查，该机构设有一个IPV收容所和一个社区家庭司法中心。使用《有特殊医疗保健需求儿童调查》和《长处与困难问卷》来记录儿童健康状况。将遭受IPV的儿童的健康状况患病率与总体标准进行比较。比较了收容所环境和社区环境中儿童的健康状况及需求。48名妇女完成了与91名儿童相关的调查。我们样本中的特殊医疗保健需求（25%）和行为健康问题（52%）明显高于一般人群。近四分之一（24%）的儿童目前需要普通医疗护理，近一半（44%）的儿童目前需要行为健康护理。未观察到收容所环境和社区环境中儿童健康状况或需求的显著差异。这些发现通过描述母亲在为IPV寻求帮助的关键时刻对儿童健康状况以及医疗保健需求的看法，扩展了之前关于遭受IPV的儿童所面临健康问题的研究。社区机构可利用这一机会窗口来支持儿童健康和家庭安全。
