Domestic violence, parents' view of their infant, and risk for child abuse

This investigation used longitudinal data from 181 couples with firstborn i nfants to test the hypothesis that parents' negative cognitions about the c hild mediate the effect of domestic violence on risk of child abuse. Analys is of covariance showed that mothers and fathers who experienced domestic v iolence during the Ist year of their child's life developed a significantly more negative view of their child. Hierarchical regressions showed that th e effect of domestic violence on the family's risk of child abuse was media ted by the mother's and father's negative views of the child. Intervention and prevention applications are discussed.