Document Detail


Influence of adult domestic violence on children's internalizing and externalizing problems: an environmentally informative twin study.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  12218431     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVE: Externalizing and internalizing problems may aggregate in families because (1) siblings share genetic risks for problem behaviors or (2) siblings are exposed to similar environmental risks. A genetically sensitive design was used to determine whether domestic violence accounted significantly for the variation and covariation of externalizing and internalizing problems, independent of additive genetic effects on these behavior problems. METHOD: Using the Achenbach family of instruments, mothers and teachers reported internalizing and externalizing problems for 1,116 monozygotic and dizygotic 5-year-old twin pairs in the United Kingdom (93% response rate). Mothers reported their experiences of domestic violence in the previous 5 years. Structural equation models were tested to determine the effect of mothers' experiences of domestic violence on children's emotional and conduct problems, controlling for latent genetic and environmental effects on these behaviors. RESULTS: A multivariate model showed that adult domestic violence accounted for 2% and 5% of the variation in children's internalizing and externalizing problems, respectively, independent of genetic effects. The co-occurrence of externalizing and internalizing scores was accounted for by genetic (62.6%) and shared environmental (29.2%) factors and by domestic violence (8%). CONCLUSIONS: Because domestic violence affects children's behavior problems beyond genetic influences, programs that successfully reduce domestic violence should also prevent children's psychopathology.
Authors:
Sara R Jaffee; Terrie E Moffitt; Avshalom Caspi; Alan Taylor; Louise Arseneault
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Twin Study    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry     Volume:  41     ISSN:  0890-8567     ISO Abbreviation:  J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry     Publication Date:  2002 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2002-09-10     Completed Date:  2002-10-08     Revised Date:  2006-11-15    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8704565     Medline TA:  J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1095-103     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, England. s.jaffee@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Biometry
Child
Child Behavior Disorders / epidemiology,  genetics*,  psychology*
Child, Preschool
Domestic Violence / psychology*
Female
Great Britain / epidemiology
Humans
Likelihood Functions
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mental Disorders / epidemiology,  genetics*,  psychology*
Multivariate Analysis

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Childhood behavioral profiles leading to adolescent conduct disorder: risk trajectories for boys and...
Next Document:  Violence exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depressive symptoms among recent immigrant sch...