Battered women's views of their children

Given that so many children are exposed to domestic violence and that such exposure is harmful to their short-as well as long-term functioning and wel l-being, it is critical to understand why some caretakers act to protect th eir children from the violence and others show greater passivity. To that e nd, in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 women victims of domestic vi olence, all of whom had children. The interviews addressed the women's feel ings about and views of their children and their caregiving responses in th e face of the violence. Two sets of themes emerged that help explain indivi dual differences in protective and nurturing behaviors: adultification of c hildren and psychological traps involving the batterer's role in the childr en's lives. Based on these themes, recommendations for interventions to bet ter serve the needs of battered women and their children are offered.