Addressing the Need for Family Violence Research in Prince Edward Island

Julia Campbell

When I initially began searching for a thesis topic to complete a Master’s Degree in Applied Health Service Research, I had very ordinary interests and ideas in mind. More specifically, I was interested in studying issues surrounding adolescent sexual health or health human resources. The topic of family violence was never a subject to which I had given much thought. However, when the opportunity arose to devote the next year of my education to this much needed research, I could not refuse. I viewed the lack of research surrounding family and intimate partner violence (IPV) as a valuable opportunity to expand the current knowledge base of issues surrounding this important topic in Prince Edward Island.

According to The Coalition for Woman Abuse Policy and Protocol in Prince Edward Island (2002), “abuse is the single major cause of injury among women- more frequent than auto accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.” Acts of intimate partner violence against women are facilitated by the fact that the violence can occur at times when the woman is completely off-guard in a private setting. Male violence against women is a major source of fear, stress, injury, and even death, and crosses lines of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and age. A survey conducted by the federal government of Canada on women and children victims of violence uncovered that there were 232 women and dependent children admitted to Prince Edward Island shelters between April, 2001 and March, 2002 (Statistics Canada, 2002).

The Canadian Public Health Association, in collaboration with other professional organizations and associations, has recognized intimate partner violence to be a major health issue that must be promptly addressed by various health professions. As awareness of this issue and its magnitude has developed over the past fifteen years, the research surrounding family and intimate partner violence has also grown. However, there is still much to be investigated and proactive solutions to be found.

• The relationships between mothers and infants, 36 months of age or less, affected by IPV have not been empirically described.
• The degree to which mother-infant relationships may mediate the impact of IPV on infant development is unknown.
• Social support to promote optimal maternal-infant relationships in families affected by IPV has been neglected in the literature.
• International, national, and provincial policy documents underscore the necessity and timeliness of this proposed research.

In addition to fulfilling a significant gap in research and practical knowledge, my current research seeks to address national and provincial policy recommendations. In Canada, the National Children’s Agenda and the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Early Childhood Development Agreement recommend improving parenting and family supports to enhance early child development. Additionally, the Family Violence Initiative supports research and evaluation efforts to identify effective interventions for family violence. Prince Edward Island’s For Our Children: A Strategy for Healthy Child Development recommends programs to encourage safe and secure parenting relationships, minimize risks to children’s development, nurture sensitive periods for learning, and support early childhood intervention.

Health Canada recognizes that children exposed to violence against women see, hear, and are aware of violence against their mother by their father or their mother’s partner. In 1999, Health Canada identified the environment in which these children live as “toxic” and stated that children's well-being, growth, and development are at risk and severely compromised in such situations.

Previous research conducted over the last three decades indicates that exposure to intimate partner violence significantly predicts children’s emotional, behavioural, social, and cognitive problems. Health Canada research shows that 39% of Canadian women who experience IPV state that their children have witnessed the violence, implying that 11--23 % of all Canadian children witness some form of violence against their mother in the home. Most studies completed to date have examined older children and children in women’s shelters. There continues to be a lack of information and research on violence and how this affects younger children specifically and, therefore, this research study is researching only children under the age of three and is seeking sheltered and nonsheltered participants.

Intimate partner violence is recognized to have drastic effects on child psychological and behavioural development, and young children may be particularly vulnerable to the impact of domestic violence. With this proposed research study, I am hoping to address gaps in literature as there appears to be a lack of research that explores (1) the relationships between mothers and infants exposed to violence, (2) the association between mother-infant relationships and infant development in families affected by violence, and (3) the support needs, resources, barriers to support, and preferences for support intervention that promote mother-infant relationships, from the perspectives of mothers affected by violence.

Volunteers Needed:

Julia’s research is a pilot project funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR). A larger Atlantic Canadian project will follow in the next few months under the direction of a research team headed by Dr. Nicole LeTourneau at the University of New Brunswick

If you have been exposed to intimate partner violence, have a child aged three years or less, and are no longer involved in a violent relationship, you may be eligible to participant in this important study. Information learned from this study may help health professionals to develop new and improved ways to support and help mother-infant relationships affected by family violence and may provide valuable insights into the effects of violence on mother-infant relationships and infant development. Please contact Julia Campbell at (902) 628-6958 or through email at ipvresearch@hotmail.com for more information.

For more information:

Transition House Association of Prince Edward Island

National Clearinghouse on Family Violence

Safe Canada, Government of Canada, Domestic Violence Information

Prince Edward Island Woman Abuse Protocols

If you have a comment for Julia or on family violence, please feel free to leave a message in our Edwards Forums.

References

Appel, A. E., & Holden, G.W. (1998). The co-occurrence of spouse and physical child abuse. A
review and appraisal. Journal of Family Psychology, 12, 578-599.

Attala, J. & Summers, S. (1999). A comparative study of health, developmental, and behavioural
factors in preschool children of battered and nonbattered women. Children’s Health Care, 28 (2), 189-200.

Browne, A. (1993). Violence against women by male partners: Prevalence, outcomes,
and policy implications. American Psychologist, 48 (10), 1077-1087.

Clark, J. P., & Du Mont, J. (2003). Intimate partner violence and health: A critique of
Canadian prevalence studies. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 94 (1), 52-58.

Health Canada (1999). A handbook for health and social service providers and educators
on children exposed to women abuse/family violence. Family Violence Prevention Unit, Health Canada: Author.

Levendosky, A. A., Huth-Bocks, A. C., Shapiro, D. L., & Semel, M. A. (2003). The
impact of domestic violence on the maternal-child relationship and preschool-age children’s functioning. Journal of Family Psychology, 17(3), 275-287.

Onyskiw, J. (2003). Domestic violence and children’s adjustment: A review of research. . In R.
Geffner, R. Igelman, and J. Zellner. The Effects of Intimate Partner Violence on Children. New York, Sage: 11-46.

Statistics Canada (2002). Transition home survey: Prince Edward Island fact sheet.
Retrieved March 1, 2005, from http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/85-404-XIE/pei.htm.

The Coalition for Woman Abuse Policy and Protocol in Prince Edward Island (2002). Response
to woman abuse: policy and protocol initiative. Retrieved on April 11, 2005, from http://www.isn.net/cliapei/womanabuse/barriers.htm