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Children and Violence: The Role of Children’s Regulation in the Marital Aggression–Child Adjustment Link

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Abstract

Exposure to marital psychological and physical abuse has been established as a risk factor for children’s socio-emotional, behavioral, and cognitive problems. Understanding the processes by which children develop symptoms of psychopathology and deficits in cognitive functioning in the context of marital aggression is imperative for developing efficient and effective treatment programs for children and families, and has far-reaching mental health implications. The present paper outlines our research program, Child Regulation and Exposure to Marital Aggression, which focuses on children’s emotional and physiological reactivity and regulation as pathways in the marital aggression–child development link. Findings from our research program, which highlight the importance of children’s regulatory processes for understanding children’s adjustment in contexts of intimate partner violence, are presented, and future directions in this line of inquiry are outlined.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA

    E. Mark Cummings & Chrystyna D. Kouros

  2. Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA

    Mona El-Sheikh & Joseph A. Buckhalt

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  1. E. Mark Cummings
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  2. Mona El-Sheikh
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Correspondence to Mona El-Sheikh.

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Mark Cummings, E., El-Sheikh, M., Kouros, C.D. et al. Children and Violence: The Role of Children’s Regulation in the Marital Aggression–Child Adjustment Link. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 12, 3–15 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-009-0042-7

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