ABSTRACT
Recent epidemiological research indicates that a woman is battered by her partner every 8 seconds (Straus & Gelles, 1986; Straus, Gelles, & Steinmetz, 1980). Further, it is estimated that forms of marital violence, including hitting, beating, and threatening with weapons, are experienced by more than 1.8 million women each year (Straus, 1977; Straus et al., 1980; Straus & Gelles, 1986). Moreover, there is a consensus that this number is probably a gross underestimate, given that many cases of marital violence are not reported. Until recently, family violence treatment focused on the battered woman and the male batterer, but directed a modicum of attention to the potential effects on the estimated 3.3 million children witnessing interparental violence (Carlson, 1984; Silvern & Kaersvang, 1989). For example, investigations conducted over the past decade suggest that children experience a number of problems associated with witnessing conjugal violence. Some of these difficulties include aggression (Jouriles, Pfiffher, & O’Leary, 1988), anxiety-withdrawal (ForsstromCohen & Rosenbaum, 1985), motorexcess (Jouriles et al., 1988; Jouriles, Murphy, & O’Leary, 1989), social problem-solving deficiencies (Rosenberg, 1987), conduct disorder (Jouriles et al., 1989), and personality disorders (Fantuzzo et al., 1991; Jouriles et al., 1989). Illustrative is a study conducted by Hughes (1988) demonstrating that children who witness interparental violence evince higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of self-esteem than a nonwitness comparison group. In another investigation, female child witnesses reported higher levels of anxiety, depression, and aggression relative to nonwitness counterparts (Forsstrom-Cohen & Rosenbaum, 1985).
