Symptoms of post-traumatic stress in children exposed to domestic violence: The role of loyalty conflicts

The consequences of exposure to domestic violence on children are increasingly known, suggesting that the context of violence can be a potentially traumatic situation. This study aims to confirm to what extent the degree of exposure to domestic violence causes posttraumatic stress symptoms and the influence of loyalty conflicts in this relationship. A total of 46 children participated in the study (26 girls and 20 boys) aged from 5 and a half years to 12 years old and living with their mother in shelters, in France. Results show that the exposure to domestic violence predicted only 1 of the 5 posttraumatic stress disorders, anxiety. Loyalty conflicts are a predictor of all posttraumatic stress disorders and have a moderating role on the relationship between domestic violence and traumatic symptoms of children. Our results indicate that when the frequency and intensity of domestic violence are increasing, children show more depressive and anger symptoms, only if they live some loyalty conflicts. This study stresses the importance of conducting further researches in order to clarify the role of loyalty conflicts.