Parenting Difficulties and Needs Described by Victims and Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) can negatively affect children's well-being and development, but few studies have looked specifically at parenting as experienced by IPV victims and abusers. Such knowledge could contribute to IPV interventions focused on parenting. The aim of this study was to gain understanding of parenting difficulties and needs of victims and perpetrators of IPV. Focus groups conducted with 16 mothers and 10 fathers showed after analysis that these parents had difficulty controlling aggression toward their children and wished to be better able to provide security for them. Insecurity about their children's reactions to the IPV also emerged. Parents seemed to seek a “roadmap” to help them interpret whether their children's behaviors were “normal.” They also wanted to share their concerns in a group of parents in the same situation, but feared being shown to be “worse” than the others or having to confront sensitive issues between group sessions.