Youth exposed to parental intimate partner violence and bullying at school

Abstract

Millions of children globally are exposed to multiple forms of violence in their homes, neighborhoods and schools, making it difficult to quantify cumulative exposures. These children are at increased risk for poor health outcomes, such as internalizing and externalizing mental and behavioral symptoms. Objective: The aim of this analysis are to examine the frequency of bullying experiences in the lives of children who have experienced parental intimate partner violence and to examine the association between health outcomes and being bullied, specifically internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Method: This study considers sex roles and divides the children by ages over 12 and under 12; however, only the victim role is assessed. For this analysis 52 months data were collected as part of a 7 year prospective study. To our knowledge, this is the first prevalence and health outcomes data reported for this population of children (N=274, average age 11.2) exposed to parental intimate partner violence (IPV) and bullying. Results: Children experienced higher than national rates of bullying victimization, ranging from 22% to 47.4%, with physical bullying at 35.6% to 45.1%. Indirect bullying was higher in the under 12 age group (32.4%-46%). The only significant gender difference was that boys experienced physical bullying more than girls. Children who scored in the borderline/clinical range on the Child Behavior Checklist experienced significantly higher levels of bullying. Conclusion: Children who experience higher levels of bullying tend to also have significantly greater internalizing and externalizing problems. This study demonstrates that negative mental and behavioral health outcomes are associated with youth who experience both bullying and parental intimate partner violence.