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Influence of adult domestic violence on children's internalizing and externalizing problems: an environmentally informative twin study.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Jaffee, SR; Moffitt, TE; Caspi, A; Taylor, A; Arseneault, L
Published in: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
September 2002

Externalizing and internalizing problems may aggregate in families because (1) siblings share genetic risks for problem behaviors or (2) siblings are exposed to similar environmental risks. A genetically sensitive design was used to determine whether domestic violence accounted significantly for the variation and covariation of externalizing and internalizing problems, independent of additive genetic effects on these behavior problems.Using the Achenbach family of instruments, mothers and teachers reported internalizing and externalizing problems for 1,116 monozygotic and dizygotic 5-year-old twin pairs in the United Kingdom (93% response rate). Mothers reported their experiences of domestic violence in the previous 5 years. Structural equation models were tested to determine the effect of mothers' experiences of domestic violence on children's emotional and conduct problems, controlling for latent genetic and environmental effects on these behaviors.A multivariate model showed that adult domestic violence accounted for 2% and 5% of the variation in children's internalizing and externalizing problems, respectively, independent of genetic effects. The co-occurrence of externalizing and internalizing scores was accounted for by genetic (62.6%) and shared environmental (29.2%) factors and by domestic violence (8%).Because domestic violence affects children's behavior problems beyond genetic influences, programs that successfully reduce domestic violence should also prevent children's psychopathology.

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Published In

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

DOI

EISSN

1527-5418

ISSN

0890-8567

Publication Date

September 2002

Volume

41

Issue

9

Start / End Page

1095 / 1103

Related Subject Headings

  • United Kingdom
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Mental Disorders
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Likelihood Functions
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Domestic Violence
  • Developmental & Child Psychology
 

Citation

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Jaffee, S. R., Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., Taylor, A., & Arseneault, L. (2002). Influence of adult domestic violence on children's internalizing and externalizing problems: an environmentally informative twin study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41(9), 1095–1103. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200209000-00010
Jaffee, Sara R., Terrie E. Moffitt, Avshalom Caspi, Alan Taylor, and Louise Arseneault. “Influence of adult domestic violence on children's internalizing and externalizing problems: an environmentally informative twin study.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 41, no. 9 (September 2002): 1095–1103. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200209000-00010.
Jaffee SR, Moffitt TE, Caspi A, Taylor A, Arseneault L. Influence of adult domestic violence on children's internalizing and externalizing problems: an environmentally informative twin study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2002 Sep;41(9):1095–103.
Jaffee, Sara R., et al. “Influence of adult domestic violence on children's internalizing and externalizing problems: an environmentally informative twin study.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 41, no. 9, Sept. 2002, pp. 1095–103. Epmc, doi:10.1097/00004583-200209000-00010.
Jaffee SR, Moffitt TE, Caspi A, Taylor A, Arseneault L. Influence of adult domestic violence on children's internalizing and externalizing problems: an environmentally informative twin study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2002 Sep;41(9):1095–1103.
Journal cover image

Published In

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

DOI

EISSN

1527-5418

ISSN

0890-8567

Publication Date

September 2002

Volume

41

Issue

9

Start / End Page

1095 / 1103

Related Subject Headings

  • United Kingdom
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Mental Disorders
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Likelihood Functions
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Domestic Violence
  • Developmental & Child Psychology