IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v169y2025ics0190740924006455.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

“They need nurturance; they need to be seen”: Early care and education for children exposed to intimate partner violence

Author

Listed:
  • Nicholson, Juliann H.
  • Ha, Yoonsook
  • DeVoe, Ellen R.
  • Spencer, Renée
  • Levendosky, Alytia A.

Abstract

Exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) can disrupt and impair children’s early development. Some evidence suggests that early care and education (ECE) participation may buffer some of these negative influences, but this area remains understudied. The current study draws on primary data from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 17 IPV survivor mothers of young children and 6 ECE providers in New England to examine the ECE needs of children exposed to IPV and the supportive factors within ECE settings that can promote their resilience. Findings revealed that children’s IPV exposure tended to increase their needs from ECE providers and settings, and that ECE providers’ awareness of children’s IPV exposure and adequate understanding of IPV dynamics were important for supporting these needs. Participants reported key resilience-promoting features within ECE settings for children exposed to IPV: 1) risk-focused factors, such as reduced exposure to IPV and prevention of IPV perpetrators’ unsafe contact with children, 2) resource-focused factors, including nurturance, stability, and facilitated access to therapeutic services, and 3) process-focused factors, including scaffolded opportunities to strengthen emotion regulation and social development. Results highlight the important role of high quality ECE for young children exposed to IPV and suggest its potential for promoting their resilience.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicholson, Juliann H. & Ha, Yoonsook & DeVoe, Ellen R. & Spencer, Renée & Levendosky, Alytia A., 2025. "“They need nurturance; they need to be seen”: Early care and education for children exposed to intimate partner violence," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:169:y:2025:i:c:s0190740924006455
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.108073
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740924006455
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.108073?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lin, Ching-Hsuan & Wiley, Angela R., 2017. "The relationship of relative child care and parenting behaviors in fragile families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 130-138.
    2. Sachiko Kita & Iori Sato & Mariko Sakka & Takafumi Soejima & Kiyoko Kamibeppu, 2021. "Does the Use of Childcare Services Reduce the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on the Quality of Life of Children?: Multiple-Group Structural Equation Modeling," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 16(5), pages 1825-1845, October.
    3. Mortensen, Jennifer A. & Barnett, Melissa A., 2016. "The role of child care in supporting the emotion regulatory needs of maltreated infants and toddlers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 73-81.
    4. Carpenter, Georgia L. & Stacks, Ann M., 2009. "Developmental effects of exposure to Intimate Partner Violence in early childhood: A review of the literature," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(8), pages 831-839, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Naomi C. Z. Andrews & Mary Motz & Bianca C. Bondi & Margaret Leslie & Debra J. Pepler, 2019. "Using a Developmental-Relational Approach to Understand the Impact of Interpersonal Violence in Women Who Struggle with Substance Use," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Maravillas Castro & Mavi Alcántara-López & Antonia Martínez & Visitación Fernández & Julio Sánchez-Meca & Concepción López-Soler, 2017. "Mother’s IPV, Child Maltreatment Type and the Presence of PTSD in Children and Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-14, September.
    3. Lene Symes & John Maddoux & Judith McFarlane & Angeles Nava & Heidi Gilroy, 2014. "Physical and sexual intimate partner violence, women's health and children's behavioural functioning: entry analysis of a seven‐year prospective study," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(19-20), pages 2909-2918, October.
    4. Catherine Louise Austin, 2025. "Factors That Influence Maternal Child Health Nurses’ Identification of Risk of Family Violence to First Nations Women in Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(2), pages 1-19, February.
    5. Dilan Aksoy & Celeste Simões & Céline Anne Favre, 2023. "Exposure to Intimate-Partner Violence and Resilience Trajectories of Adolescents: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Latent Transition Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(9), pages 1-21, April.
    6. Liu, Ting & Zhang, Xiao & Zhao, Kun & Chan, Wai Ling, 2020. "Teacher-child relationship quality and Chinese toddlers’ developmental functioning: A cross-lagged modelling approach," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    7. Anthony, Rebecca & Meakings, Sarah & Doughty, Julie & Ottaway, Heather & Holland, Sally & Shelton, Katherine H., 2016. "Factors affecting adoption in Wales: Predictors of variation in time between entry to care and adoptive placement," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 184-190.
    8. Huang, Chien-Chung & Wang, Lih-Rong & Warrener, Corinne, 2010. "Effects of domestic violence on behavior problems of preschool-aged children: Do maternal mental health and parenting mediate the effects?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1317-1323, October.
    9. Antwi-Boasiako, Kofi & Fallon, Barbara & King, Bryn & Trocmé, Nico & Fluke, John, 2021. "Examining decision-making tools and child welfare involvement among Black families in Ontario, Canada," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    10. Susan Yoon & Nathan Helsabeck & Xiafei Wang & Jessica Logan & Fei Pei & Sherry Hamby & Natasha Slesnick, 2021. "Profiles of Resilience among Children Exposed to Non-Maltreatment Adverse Childhood Experiences," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-18, October.
    11. Hubel, G.S. & Davies, F. & Goodrum, N.M. & Schmarder, K.M. & Schnake, K. & Moreland, A.D., 2020. "Adverse childhood experiences among early care and education teachers: Prevalence and associations with observed quality of classroom social and emotional climate," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    12. Vikse Nicholson, Juliann & Chen, Yafan & Huang, Chien-Chung, 2018. "Children's exposure to intimate partner violence and peer bullying victimization," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 439-446.
    13. Postmus, Judy L. & Merritt, Darcey H., 2010. "When child abuse overlaps with domestic violence: The factors that influence child protection workers' beliefs," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 309-317, March.
    14. Immacolata Di Napoli & Stefania Carnevale & Ciro Esposito & Roberta Block & Caterina Arcidiacono & Fortuna Procentese, 2020. "“Kept in Check”: Representations and Feelings of Social and Health Professionals Facing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-18, October.
    15. Benjamín Pereira-Román & Concepción López-Soler & María Vicenta Alcántara López, 2021. "Gender Perspective in Research on Interventions in Children with Experiences of Parental Gender-Based Violence: Application of GPIHR Criteria," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-19, October.
    16. Toni D. Withiel & Beverley Allen & Kirsty Evans & Nadine Rudkin & Karen Willis & Leesa Hooker & Caroline Fisher, 2020. "Assisting clients experiencing family violence: Clinician and client survey responses in a child and family health service," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(21-22), pages 4076-4089, November.
    17. Lawson, Jennifer, 2019. "Domestic violence as child maltreatment: Differential risks and outcomes among cases referred to child welfare agencies for domestic violence exposure," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 32-41.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:169:y:2025:i:c:s0190740924006455. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.