Intimate Partner Violence Effects on Children's Academic Achievement: Results from a Nationally Representative Sample

Objective: Research has established that children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) is pervasive and can have long-term adverse outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of children's exposure to IPV on their academic achievement. We hypothesized that IPV exposure would be negatively related to children's reading comprehension and applied math scores. Method: Our sample included 507 children (ages 8-10) from Wave 5 of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. IPV exposure was measured using the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2), and the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Academic Achievement was used to measure reading comprehension and applied math skills. We used a complex samples general linear model to test the multivariate models. Results: IPV was significantly negatively related to lower reading comprehension. However, we found no significant relationship between IPV and applied math scores. Conclusions: This study offers a starting point in assessing the impact of children's IPV exposure at a national level. Additional research is needed to further explore the relationship and impact of IPV on applied math skills by triangulating math assessments. The findings also highlight the need for practitioners to assess the effect of IPV exposure on children's academic achievement.