Children's Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and Acceptance or Appraisals of IPV: A Systematic Review

Among children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV), their appraisals and beliefs about IPV have been identified as key cognitive factors that may explain the linkage between IPV exposure and other adjustment outcomes. Grounded in the cognitive-contextual framework, this systematic review summarizes empirical studies examining child IPV exposure, acceptance of IPV, and appraisals of IPV, including perceived threat, self-blame attributions, and coping efficacy. This study is part of a broader evidence and gap map (EGM) that systematically searched seven databases for quantitative studies examining the effects of IPV exposure on all potential child outcomes. Studies were screened and coded for inclusion if they focused on IPV-exposed children 17 years and younger, used a validated or reliable scale to measure child outcomes, and utilized a comparison group. This review examined a subset of 13 studies measuring children's acceptance and/or appraisals of IPV. Findings suggest that children exposed to IPV tend to have stronger beliefs that the use of violence in intimate relationships is acceptable, with important implications for adolescent dating violence. Additionally, children's appraisals of threat and self-blame regarding their parents' IPV acted as a key variable for understanding links between children's IPV exposure and outcomes such as internalizing problems, social anxiety, and self-efficacy. Few studies examined coping efficacy. This review highlights the importance of children's acceptance and appraisals of IPV as an outcome of IPV exposure, and as an intervening factor between IPV exposure and other adjustment outcomes. Implications for intervention and future research are discussed.