1.78 Protection, Pain, and Pride: Parenting and Building Mother-Child Relationships Amid Domestic Violence in a Primarily Latino Community

ObjectivesGrowing up amid domestic violence (DV) has detrimental effects on children’s physical, psychological, and social well-being. It can also damage relationships between nonperpetrator family members—including the mother and child. This study examined the effects of DV on child health and mother-child relationships in a primarily Latino community in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the goal of creating family-centered programs.MethodsSpanish- and English-speaking mothers (n = 28) were recruited from a large DV agency. Focus groups examined access to resources and how DV affected children and relationships. Codes were developed using a mixed inductive-deductive approach based in grounded theory. Quantitative surveys examined child physical and mental health and desired resources, and were analyzed in R and Excel.ResultsMothers rated children’s mental health (n = 72) as average or below average (n = 62; 86%; p < .0001), with 51% below average. Most mothers (n = 28) reported that at least 1 of their children experienced physical or mental health problems due to their DV experiences, such as sleep problems (n = 20; 71%), anxiety (n = 20; 71%), stress (n = 20; 71%), depression (n = 19; 68%), loneliness (n = 17; 61%), stomach pains (n = 16; 57%), headache (n = 16; 57%), and others. Mothers expressed a desire for various mental health services for teens. Qualitative analysis demonstrated mothers’ awareness of the effects of DV on children. Mothers tried to protect children but felt that parenting efforts were subverted by ex-partners, systems (Child Protective Services [CPS], police, healthcare system), and lack of resources. Mothers were proud when children avoided potential negative outcomes; however, many felt that mother-child relationships suffered, attributing this to a lack of a shared trauma narrative. In the long term, some mothers felt that dyadic relationships and child health were greatly affected by access to mental healthcare resources and other resources. In response to the reported desired services, a “Teen Group” was launched within the DV service agency.ConclusionsNonperpetrator survivor mothers are perceptive of DV’s effects on their children and are motivated to provide care for their children. Provision of resources and education to survivor mothers could be a vital method to deliver community-based, trauma-focused support to children within marginalized and vulnerable communities.TRA, PAT, CAN ObjectivesGrowing up amid domestic violence (DV) has detrimental effects on children’s physical, psychological, and social well-being. It can also damage relationships between nonperpetrator family members—including the mother and child. This study examined the effects of DV on child health and mother-child relationships in a primarily Latino community in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the goal of creating family-centered programs. Growing up amid domestic violence (DV) has detrimental effects on children’s physical, psychological, and social well-being. It can also damage relationships between nonperpetrator family members—including the mother and child. This study examined the effects of DV on child health and mother-child relationships in a primarily Latino community in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the goal of creating family-centered programs. MethodsSpanish- and English-speaking mothers (n = 28) were recruited from a large DV agency. Focus groups examined access to resources and how DV affected children and relationships. Codes were developed using a mixed inductive-deductive approach based in grounded theory. Quantitative surveys examined child physical and mental health and desired resources, and were analyzed in R and Excel. Spanish- and English-speaking mothers (n = 28) were recruited from a large DV agency. Focus groups examined access to resources and how DV affected children and relationships. Codes were developed using a mixed inductive-deductive approach based in grounded theory. Quantitative surveys examined child physical and mental health and desired resources, and were analyzed in R and Excel. ResultsMothers rated children’s mental health (n = 72) as average or below average (n = 62; 86%; p < .0001), with 51% below average. Most mothers (n = 28) reported that at least 1 of their children experienced physical or mental health problems due to their DV experiences, such as sleep problems (n = 20; 71%), anxiety (n = 20; 71%), stress (n = 20; 71%), depression (n = 19; 68%), loneliness (n = 17; 61%), stomach pains (n = 16; 57%), headache (n = 16; 57%), and others. Mothers expressed a desire for various mental health services for teens. Qualitative analysis demonstrated mothers’ awareness of the effects of DV on children. Mothers tried to protect children but felt that parenting efforts were subverted by ex-partners, systems (Child Protective Services [CPS], police, healthcare system), and lack of resources. Mothers were proud when children avoided potential negative outcomes; however, many felt that mother-child relationships suffered, attributing this to a lack of a shared trauma narrative. In the long term, some mothers felt that dyadic relationships and child health were greatly affected by access to mental healthcare resources and other resources. In response to the reported desired services, a “Teen Group” was launched within the DV service agency. Mothers rated children’s mental health (n = 72) as average or below average (n = 62; 86%; p < .0001), with 51% below average. Most mothers (n = 28) reported that at least 1 of their children experienced physical or mental health problems due to their DV experiences, such as sleep problems (n = 20; 71%), anxiety (n = 20; 71%), stress (n = 20; 71%), depression (n = 19; 68%), loneliness (n = 17; 61%), stomach pains (n = 16; 57%), headache (n = 16; 57%), and others. Mothers expressed a desire for various mental health services for teens. Qualitative analysis demonstrated mothers’ awareness of the effects of DV on children. Mothers tried to protect children but felt that parenting efforts were subverted by ex-partners, systems (Child Protective Services [CPS], police, healthcare system), and lack of resources. Mothers were proud when children avoided potential negative outcomes; however, many felt that mother-child relationships suffered, attributing this to a lack of a shared trauma narrative. In the long term, some mothers felt that dyadic relationships and child health were greatly affected by access to mental healthcare resources and other resources. In response to the reported desired services, a “Teen Group” was launched within the DV service agency. ConclusionsNonperpetrator survivor mothers are perceptive of DV’s effects on their children and are motivated to provide care for their children. Provision of resources and education to survivor mothers could be a vital method to deliver community-based, trauma-focused support to children within marginalized and vulnerable communities.TRA, PAT, CAN Nonperpetrator survivor mothers are perceptive of DV’s effects on their children and are motivated to provide care for their children. Provision of resources and education to survivor mothers could be a vital method to deliver community-based, trauma-focused support to children within marginalized and vulnerable communities.