Children’s Direct Exposure to Types of Domestic Violence Crime: A Population-based Investigation

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GSE Faculty Research
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Policy and Administration
domestic violence
child exposure
prevalence
law enforcement
typology
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Fusco, Rachel
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Police officers served as public health sentinels to collect data on children exposed to domestic violence across an entire municipality for one year. This study extended research by investigating a typology of domestic violence crimes and children's direct sensory exposure to these types. Police officers used a standard, validated protocol to collect data on all substantiated domestic violence. Findings revealed that almost half of all events had children present, and 81% of these children were directly exposed to the violence. Children under the age of 6 years old were at greater risk of exposure. Identified domestic violence households with children were more likely to be low-income, non-White, and headed by a single female, compared to households at large. Cluster analysis revealed seven domestic violence event profiles. Typology showed that children were disproportionately exposed to the most unstable and dangerous profiles including weapon use, mutual assault, and substance abuse.

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2007-07-10
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Postprint version. Published in Journal of Family Violence, Volume 22, Issue 7, October 2007, pages 543-552. Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10896-007-9105-z
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