Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence During Confinement: Characteristics by Age and Sex

Mavi Alcántara-López; Maravillas Castro; Antonia Martínez-Pérez; Visitación Fernández; Kaveri Negrón-Medina; Concepción López-Soler

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.889697

Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence During Confinement: Characteristics by Age and Sex

Front Psychol. 2022 Jun 20:13:889697. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.889697. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Mavi Alcántara-López^{1

2}, Maravillas Castro^{1

2}, Antonia Martínez-Pérez^{1

2}, Visitación Fernández^{1

2}, Kaveri Negrón-Medina¹, Concepción López-Soler^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Psychology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
² Spanish Association for the Development of Mental Health in Childhood and Youth, "I Want to Grow", Murcia, Spain.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions imposed to stop its advance have affected the entire population. Children living with difficulties or in vulnerable situations prior to the pandemic might have suffered an even greater impact. This present study examines the psychological impact of quarantine on children and adolescents exposed to intimate partner violence against their mothers. Participants were 185 mothers who reported 269 children, as well as 108 children who self-reported. An emotional and behavioral checklist was administered to both mothers and children throughout confinement. Results show mothers observed changes in their children's psychological state. Children, in turn, reported an increase in different variables. Mothers reported a higher percentage of overall increase for both general and severe symptoms than their children. Differences were found by sex and age. Future research with similar population groups is necessary to establish the support and intervention children require in similar contexts, as well as to clarify possible causes of differences found by age and sex.

Keywords: COVID-19; age; children; confinement; intimate partner violence (IPV); sex.