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Exposure to partner violence harms children's adjustment

Children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) between caregivers is prospectively associated with elevated internalizing and externalizing problems and other adjustment difficulties; the association is robust across many studies and strengthens over time, but it is modest in magnitude, varies widely across children, and operates substantially through co-occurring maltreatment, impaired caregiving, and maternal mental health rather than as a uniform, direct effect of witnessing alone.