1st appeared 18 August 1998

New Treatment Approach Shows Positive Results for "Double Victims" of Domestic Violence

Studies have shown that youngsters who witness domestic violence -- usually the assault of their mother -- tend to develop low self-esteem. And witnessing domestic violence as a child is the best predictor of becoming a perpetrator of domestic violence as an adult, says Alicia Lieberman, a child development specialist and associate professor of psychiatry at UCSF.

Reporting in San Francisco on Friday at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Lieberman said one of her goals is to break this cycle. She presented findings from the first phase of a research project studying the effectiveness of a new therapy approach that focuses on developing the relationship between the "double victims" of domestic violence: mother and child. This compares to a more standard approach that would treat each victim individually.

"The results to date are very encouraging, with positive behavior changes in both mother and child," Lieberman said. "Our most dramatic finding, which was a surprise, showed a significant increase in IQ score in a majority of children who completed the therapy."

The study was carried out through the UCSF Child Trauma Research Project, directed by Lieberman, at San Francisco General Hospital.

The treatment intervention consists of home visits once a week for 12 months by a therapist who meets with the mother and child. The emphasis is on resolving conflicts in the parent-child relationship, which in turn creates a setting where the mother is better able to facilitate the child's development and the child's readiness to learn and emotional resilience are enhanced, according to Lieberman.

The study involved 45 mother-child pairs. All of the women had been severely beaten, shot, knifed, and/or raped, and all the children -- ages 3 to 5 years -- had witnessed the assaults.

The study findings included the following:

• Sixty percent of the children completing treatment had increases in IQ ranging from 10 to 25 points over pre-treatment scores. These gains were related to improvements in the child's ability to concentrate, to stay with a task, to cope with frustrations, and to cooperate with the examiners.

• Only one mother returned to the perpetrator during the course of treatment, and a second mother began a new relationship with a man who battered her but then ended it quickly. This contrasts with a common rate of 50 percent recidivism in domestic violence relationships.

• The emotional quality of the relationship between mother and child showed substantial improvement between the beginning and end of treatment. Mothers reported fewer complaints about their children's behavior, including instances of aggression.

According to Lieberman, the study, which now is continuing, has two major objectives: to determine the effects of witnessing domestic violence on a preschooler's social and emotional development and learning ability, and to evaluate the effectiveness of a relationship-based treatment intervention in helping a child overcome his or her traumatic response to the incident.

Source: Corinna Kaarlela, News Services

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