Dyadic Intervention for Young Children Exposed to Interpersonal Violence

Abstract

Children aged five years and younger are more likely to be exposed to intimate partner violence than any other age group.  Until recently, there was little literature devoted to the social and emotional needs of young children exposed to family violence.  However, research over the past two decades has found links between a number of stressful and traumatic events early in life and later social and emotional problems.  This has led to increased clinical research on intervention for young children exposed to intimate partner violence.  Intervention that targets the parent-child relationship holds the most promise for changing developmental outcomes for children birth through five years of age.