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Intimate partner violence during infancy and cognitive outcomes in middle childhood: Results from an Australian community-based mother and child cohort study |
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| Authors: | Priscilla Savopoulos Stephanie Brown Peter J Anderson Deirdre Gartland Christina Bryant Rebecca Giallo |
| Institution: | 1. Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;2. Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia;3. Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia;4. Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;5. School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;6. Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia |
| Abstract: | The cognitive functioning of children who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) has received less attention than their emotional-behavioral outcomes. Drawing upon data from 615 (48.4% female) 10-year-old Australian-born children and their mothers (9.6% of mothers born in non-English speaking countries) participating in a community-based longitudinal study between 2004 and 2016, this study examined the associations between IPV in infancy and cognition in middle childhood (at age 10). Results showed that IPV in the first 12 months of life was associated with lower general cognitive ability and poorer executive attention but not working memory skills. IPV in middle childhood (in the 10th year postpartum) was not associated with cognition. This study provides evidence for the long-term impact of early life exposure to IPV on children's cognition, and points to the importance of early intervention to optimize development. |
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