90 Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 2:90–105, 2009 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 1936-1521 print / 1936-153X online DOI: 10.1080/19361520902880715 WCAT 1936-1521 1936-153X Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, Vol. 2, No. 2, April 2009: pp. 1–30 Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma Longitudinal Treatment Effectiveness Outcomes of a Group Intervention for Women and Children Exposed to Domestic Violence Treatment Outcomes for Domestic Violence Exposure A. Basu et al. ARCHANA BASU, 1 JOHANNA C. MALONE, 1 ALYTIA A. LEVENDOSKY, 1 AND STACIE DUBAY 2 1 Michigan State University 2 EVE, Inc., Lansing, MI Social support can moderate negative effects of domestic violence for exposed women and children. Also, interventions targeting exposed women and children simulta- neously have been shown to be more effective than those focused on children only. Since group interventions can provide such support, our study examined the effectiveness of a 10-week community-based psycho-educational group intervention for women and children. Mothers’ (n = 36) and children’s outcomes (n = 20) were assessed preintervention and 3- and 6-months postintervention. High attrition limited significant findings but maternal outcomes were in the expected direction. Methodological implications and barriers to intervention research are discussed. Keywords treatment effectiveness, domestic violence, longitudinal study, children, battered women Introduction I put a blanket over my head and go in the closet and go under my bed and put blankets, books, clothes, and stuffed animals over me. (A young girl’s response to being asked what she does when her parents are fighting.) Domestic violence (DV) broadly defined includes patterns of behaviors that are used to gain or maintain power and control in intimate relationships and include acts of verbal, psychological, physical, and sexual aggression and control (Kelly & Johnson, 2008). The current study sought to examine the effectiveness of an intervention program for mothers and children exposed to DV from the mother’s male partner, including psychological, physical, and sexual aggression. DV is a significant public health concern in the United States. Amnesty International (2001) reported that a woman is battered every 15 seconds in the United States. According to U.S. Census estimates, approximately 1.5 million adult women experience DV each year (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000b). Also, according to two national crime surveys, approximately 20%–64% of all violence against women is accounted for by DV (Rennison, 2003; Received May 12, 2008; revised November 26, 2008; revised March 8, 2008; accepted March 10, 2009. Address correspondence to Archana Basu, 44 Psychology Building, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824. E-mail: basuarch@msu.edu