Prevalence and Impact of Domestic Abuse on Familes in CAMHS.

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Prevalence of children who have lived with domestic abuse in a regional child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) and clinical psychology service. Does severity of maternal depression and maternal trauma symptoms moderate the relationship between child exposure to domestic abuse and child trauma symptoms?

• IRAS ID

  159594

• Contact name

  Lisa Ahern

• Contact email

  lisa.ahern@nhs.net

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 6 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Many children are forced to live with domestic abuse (DA) and children are commonly present in the same or next room during incidents. Using a confidential questionnaire design this study aims to assess the prevalence of child exposure to DA in referrals to a regional child mental health service. Once prevalence is known this will inform the development of screening procedures, interventions and other supports.
  Exposure to DA can lead to a wide range of negative outcomes in children. Of all the observed negative effects trauma symptoms have been studied less frequently than other outcomes. Maternal depression and maternal trauma symptoms have been shown to have some effect on child outcomes although evidence is inconclusive. In addition to assessing the prevalence of child exposure to DA in this clinical service, child trauma symptoms (children aged 5-16 years), mother’s trauma symptoms and mother’s depression symptoms will be investigated using confidential questionnaires. The anonymous data will be analysed to investigate whether maternal trauma symptoms, maternal depression, the duration, severity and frequency of DA exposure, the age and gender of the child moderate the relationship between children’s exposure to DA and the child’s trauma symptoms. This information is not clear from current available evidence. Determining whether maternal trauma symptoms, maternal depression symptoms, age of child and gender of child moderate the relationship between children’s exposure to DA and their trauma symptoms will allow for best interventions to be planned for children and their mothers, thus following guidelines from the National Domestic Abuse Delivery Plan for Children and Young People (Scottish Government 2008) and NICE guidelines on Domestic Violence and Abuse (2014).
  

• REC name

  East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 2

• REC reference

  14/ES/1097

• Date of REC Opinion

  17 Nov 2014

• REC opinion

  Unfavourable Opinion