Children with experience of intimate partner violence describe their abused parent: A qualitative study.

Karin Pernebo¹² and Kjerstin Almqvist³

¹ Department of Psychology, Linnaeus University, Sweden

² Department of Research and Development, Region Kronoberg

³ Department of Psychology, Karlstad University, Sweden

Abstract

It has been shown that negative impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on the child begins early in the realm of the relationship between child and caregiver. Understanding how children experience and relate to an abused parent is essential for theory and to optimize interventions. The aim of this study was to elucidate how children describe their abused parent in the aftermath of IPV. Face-to face interviews were conducted with 17 children with experience of IPV, aged 4 to 12 years, using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three main themes were identified: Coherent telling about parent; Deficient telling about parent and Parent as trauma trigger. The results indicate that children may carry integrated as well as deficient or blocked inner representations of the abused parent and illustrate the benefit of including young children in research. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.