Domestic Violence, Child Exposure to

John W. Fantuzzo & Rachel A. Fusco & Staci M. Peckham

Violence against women by intimate partners is of epidemic proportions in the United States. National data indicate that nearly 700,000 intimate partner violence events were documented in 2001 (Bureau of Justice, 2002). Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data show that in the past 25 years, 57,000 individuals have been killed in domestic violence situations. In the past decade, national awareness of domestic violence has prompted the passage of the 1994, 1998, and 2000 Violence Against Women Acts and has resulted in legislation to combat this violence and to strengthen the authority of police officers to investigate and intervene in violent situations (Fantuzzo & Mohr, 1999). The magnitude of this national problem has caused growing concern for the physical and psychological well-being of children who are exposed to domestic violence. Applied developmental science is needed to inform research and practice for this vulnerable group of children. To fully understand the issue ...

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