Excluding partner-abusive fathers from an intimate partner violence (IPV)-exposed child’s mental health treatment without exercising due diligence may be contraindicated. It is known that fathers with antisocial characteristics can be detrimental to a child’s development; however, research also shows that fathers are as important as mothers to the healthy development of children. Due to this dichotomy, working with IPV-exposed children and their families deserves an idiographic approach. By using a case vignette, steps are delineated and recommendations offered to develop a model for the safe engagement of partner-abusive fathers into an IPV-exposed child’s treatment.
Antunes-AlvesS.De StefanoJ. (2014). Intimate partner violence: Making the case for joint couple treatment. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 21, 62–68. doi:10.1177/1066480713505056
3.
BancroftL. (2002). Why does he do that? Inside the minds of angry and controlling men. New York, NY: Berkley Books.
CampbellJ. C.WebsterD. W.GlassN. (2009). The danger assessment: Validation of a lethality risk assessment instrument for intimate partner femicide. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24, 653–674. doi:10.1177/0886260508317180
6.
ChenZ. Y.KaplanH. B. (2001). Intergenerational transmission of constructive parenting. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63, 17–31. doi:10.1111/j. 1741-3737.2001.00017.x
DevaneyJ. (2014). Male perpetrators of domestic violence: How should we hold them accountable?The Political Quarterly, 85, 480–486. doi:10.1111/1467-923X. 12111
9.
FeatherstoneB.PeckoverS. (2007). Letting them get away with it: Fathers, domestic violence and child welfare. Critical Social Policy, 27, 181–202. doi:10.1177/0261018306075708
10.
FeldmanR.BambergerE.Kanat-MaymonY. (2013). Parent-specific reciprocity from infancy to adolescence shapes children’s social competence and dialogical skills. Attachment & Human Development, 15, 407–423. doi:10.1080/14616734.2013.782650.
11.
FlandersJ. L.LeoV.PaquetteD.PihlR. O.SeguinJ. R. (2009). Rough-and-tumble play and the regulation of aggression: An observational study of father-child play dyads. Aggressive Behavior, 35, 285–295. doi:10.1002/ab.20309
12.
FlouriE. (2005). Chapter 3: Fathering involvement and children’s mental health outcomes. In FlouriE. (Ed.), Fathering and child outcomes (pp. 53–82). Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons. doi:10.1002/9780470713228.
13.
Furr-RoeskeC. M. (2011). Parenting interventions for children exposed to intimate partner violence (Doctoral dissertation). Publication no. 3488365. Retrieved fromhttp://pqdtopen.proquest.com
14.
HamelJ.NichollsT. (2006). Domestic violence: A gender-inclusive conception. In HamelJ.NichollsT. (Eds.), Family approaches to domestic violence: A guide to gender inclusive research and treatment (pp. 3–26). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.
15.
HoldenG. W. (2003). Children exposed to domestic violence and child abuse: Terminology and taxonomy. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 6, 151–160. doi:10.1023/A:1024906315255
16.
JaffeeS. R.MoffittT. E.CaspiA.TaylorA. (2003). Life with (or without) father: The benefits of living with two biological parents depend on the father’s antisocial behavior. Child Development, 74, 109–126. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.t01-1-00524
17.
LindseyE. W.MizeJ.PettitG. S. (1997). Mutuality in parent–child play: Consequences for children’s peer competence. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 14, 523–538. doi:10.1177/0265407597144007
18.
LundahlB. W.TollefsonD.RisserH.LovejoyM. C. (2007). A meta-analysis of father involvement in parent training. Research on Social Work Practice, 18, 97–106. doi:10.1177/1049731507309828
19.
MartinA.RyanR. M.Brooks-GunnJ. (2007). The joint influence of mother and father parenting on child cognitive outcomes at age 5. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 22, 423–439. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2007.07.001
20.
PeledE. (2000). Parenting by men who abuse women: Issues and dilemmas. British Journal of Social Work, 30, 25–36. doi:10.1093/bjsw/30.1.25
21.
PerelG.PeledE. (2008). The fathering of violent men: Constriction and yearning. Violence Against Women, 14, 457–482. doi:10.1177/1077801208314846
22.
PleckJ.MasciadrelliB. (2004). Paternal involvement by U.S. residential fathers: Levels, sources, and consequences. In LambM. E. (Ed.), The role of the father in child development (pp. 222–271). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.
23.
RizoC. F.MacyR. J.ErmentroutD. M.JohnsN. B. (2011). Review of family interventions for intimate partner violence with a child focus or child component. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 16, 144–166. doi:10.1186/1745-6215-13-12
24.
SaltzmanL. E.FanslowJ. L.McMahonP. M.ShelleyG. A. (2002). Intimate partner violence surveillance: Uniform definitions and recommended data elements [Electronic version]. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Retrieved fromhttp://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pubres/ipv_surveillance/Intimate%20Partner%20Violence.pdf
25.
ShellebyE. C.ShawD. S. (2014). Outcomes of parenting interventions for child conduct problems: A review of differential effectiveness. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 45, 628–645. doi:10.1007/s10578-013-0431-5
26.
StithS. M.McCollumE. E. (2011). Conjoint treatment of couples who have experienced intimate partner violence. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 16, 312–318. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2011.04.012
27.
TajimaE. A.HerrenkohlT. I.MoylanC. A.DerrA. S. (2010). Moderating the effects of childhood exposure to intimate partner violence: The roles of parenting characteristics and adolescent peer support. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 376–394. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00676.x
