The Mediating Role of Parenting Stress in the Relation Between Intimate Partner Violence and Child Adjustment

This study examined the role of maternal parenting stress in the relation between intimate partner violence (IPV) and children's emotional and behavioral problems among 139 African American children between the ages of 8 and 12 years. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate a mediational model examining maternal reports of IPV and parenting stress and both mother and child reports of child adjustment. Results suggest that parenting stress helps explain the link between IPV and child emotional and behavioral problems. Findings from this study highlight the importance of parenting stress in outcomes of children from low-income African American families who experience IPV.