Domestic Abuse and Children's Health in the Canary Islands, Spain
Abstract
This study analyzed the association between domestic partner abuse and children's health. The sample consisted of 420 abused women with at least one child, for a total of 406 female children and 504 male children in 420 households. The women reported that one or more of their children had psychological problems in 27.4% of the cases, 13.6% reported physical health problems, and 7.6% reported both psychological and physical health problems. Externalizing problems were reported most frequently (in 11.7% of the children), while internalizing problems were reported in 5.6% of the children. A greater percentage of children with psychological and physical health problems was found in families in which the abusive partner was also abusive toward the children. We found better mental health in children whose mothers did not abuse them. Women whose children did not exhibit physical or mental health problems were younger, had suffered fewer years of abuse, and had fewer children than the women whose children exhibited health problems.
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