Peer-reviewed article
Domestic violence and child well-being: parenting self-efficacy as a developmental pathway
Vanisha L. Brown, Chelsei K. Granderson, Leah R. Alexander, Chau-Kuang Chen, Marya L. Shegog et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This commentary examines how domestic violence affects child well-being through its impact on parenting self-efficacy—caregivers' confidence in their ability to parent effectively. Domestic violence can undermine caregivers' emotional resources and confidence, disrupting parenting practices and children's development. The authors propose that strengthening parenting self-efficacy through trauma-informed approaches may help protect children and support family resilience after domestic violence exposure.
Key points
- Domestic violence affects children both through direct exposure and indirectly by disrupting caregiving, causing caregiver trauma, psychological distress, and reduced emotional availability
- Parenting self-efficacy is proposed as a developmental pathway linking domestic violence to child outcomes across cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social, and physical domains
- Stronger parenting self-efficacy may support responsive caregiving, emotional security, and adaptive coping in families affected by domestic violence
- Research priorities include expanding qualitative research on family experiences, strengthening parenting self-efficacy through trauma-informed approaches, and developing developmentally responsive child support
- Family-centered interventions addressing interconnected needs of caregivers and children may reduce long-term consequences of domestic violence
Limitations
This is a conceptual commentary proposing a theoretical pathway rather than an empirical evaluation of an intervention. It does not present original data or test the proposed mechanism through research.
Abstract
Domestic violence is a pervasive public health and social issue with consequences that extend beyond survivors to affect caregiver functioning, family relationships, and child development. Children may be affected through direct exposure to violence and through disruptions in the caregiving environment, including caregiver trauma, psychological distress, parenting stress, and reduced emotional availability. This commentary examines a proposed developmental pathway linking domestic violence, parenting self-efficacy, and child well-being. Parenting self-efficacy refers to caregivers' beliefs in their ability to effectively carry out parenting responsibilities and positively influence their children's development. Domestic violence may undermine these beliefs by diminishing caregivers' emotional resources, autonomy, and confidence, potentially affecting parenting practices, parent-child relationships, and children's cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social, and physical well-being. Conversely, stronger parenting self-efficacy may support responsive caregiving, emotional security, adaptive coping, and family resilience. The commentary identifies parenting self-efficacy as a potentially modifiable target and proposes priorities for research, practice, and family-centered intervention. These priorities include expanding qualitative research on family experiences and parenting processes, strengthening parenting self-efficacy through trauma-informed and family-centered approaches, and developing developmentally responsive support for children. Addressing the interconnected needs of caregivers and children may strengthen family functioning and reduce the long-term consequences of domestic violence for children and families.