The high prevalence of domestic violence results in large numbers of young children being exposed to extreme conflict between parents. Although there is evidence that childhood exposure to domestic violence occasions considerable risk for developing internalizing and externalizing problems, the specific link between that exposure and the outcome is not known. This state of affairs is due, in part, to limitations in establishing how the child was exposed to the domestic violence and, in part, because domestic violence is often imbedded in other familial and environmental circumstances associated with adverse child outcomes. The primary goal of the research is to test a theoretical model positing that the adverse outcomes for children exposed to domestic violence are mediated by the parenting of that child. To test the theory, the research is designed to detail the actual experiences of exposure by 4-8 year old children who come from households in which domestic violence has occurred. Multimethod/multisource assessments of parenting, including micro-social coding of direct observations of parent-child interactions, will be used in structural equation modeling to test the theory that specific aspects of parenting will determine the specific outcomes of the children. By controlling for other adverse family circumstances (e.g., economic disadvantage; community violence), and using a multisource/multimethod approach to assessing child outcomes (including direct observations of peer interactions), it should be possible to disambiguate the factors that determine internalizing and externalizing disorders as well as subclinical adjustment difficulties. To conduct the research and to assure a sample that is ethnically diverse and drawn from both rural and urban areas, 600 children and their parent(s) will be recruited in Iowa and Wisconsin and tested in a design that includes two annual follow-up assessments. ? ?
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