The Mediating Role of Parenting Stress in the Relation Between Intimate Partner Violence and Child Adjustment Ashley E. Owen Emory University Martie P. Thompson Clemson University Nadine J. Kaslow Emory University This study examined the role of maternal parenting stress in the relation between intimate partner violence (IPV) and children’s emotional and behavioral problems among 139 African American children between the ages of 8 and 12 years. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate a mediational model examining maternal reports of IPV and parenting stress and both mother and child reports of child adjustment. Results suggest that parenting stress helps explain the link between IPV and child emotional and behavioral problems. Findings from this study highlight the importance of parenting stress in outcomes of children from low-income African American families who experience IPV. Keywords: intimate partner violence, parenting stress, child adjustment, African American families Each year, 1.3 million women in the United States are physically assaulted by a partner (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). African American women, particularly those who are poor, are victimized at higher rates than women of any other race and have more difficulty escaping the violence (D. W. Campbell & Gary, 1998; Neff, Holamon, & Schluter, 1995). The severity of intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by African American women tends to be greater than that of other groups (Joseph, 1997; Richie, 1996). This is likely to at least partially explain why homicide is the second leading cause of death for African American women between the ages of 15 and 24 years and the fourth leading cause for African American women between the ages of 25 and 34 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003). Although IPV has medical and psychological conse- quences for all women (J. C. Campbell, 2002; J. C. Camp- bell et al., 2002), the risk of experiencing mental health problems associated with IPV is greater for women who live in poverty or who are homeless (Belle, 1990). Because African Americans are disproportionately poor (U.S. Cen- sus Bureau) and abused women are more likely to experi- ence material hardship than nonabused women (Tolman & Rosen, 2001), the negative outcomes of IPV are likely to be greater for this population. IPV is also harmful to children who witness the abuse (J. C. Campbell & Lewandowski, 1997; Jaffee, Moffitt, Caspi, Taylor, & Arseneault, 2002; Somer & Braunstein, 1999). Children exposed to IPV often exhibit internalizing and externalizing problems, physical problems, and prone- ness to violence and victimization (J. C. Campbell & Le- wandowski, 1997; Jaffee et al., 2002; Somer & Braunstein, 1999). These consequences are significant challenges for African American children as well (Kaslow et al., 2004). Maternal stress may play an important role in the emo- tional and behavioral adjustment of African American chil- dren from families in which IPV is present (Graham- Bermann, 1998; Holden & Ritchie, 1991). There is evidence that in African American families, IPV is related to stress in the victimized partner (Huang & Gunn, 2001), and elevated parental stress levels negatively impact child behavior (Jackson, 2000). These findings provide support for theo- retical links in a mediational model of maternal stress in the relation between IPV and child adaptation. However, among African Americans in particular, the role of maternal stress in the IPV– child adjustment link has not been ade- quately studied. Because of the disproportionately high rates of IPV in the African American community and the heightened risk of negative psychological consequences of IPV, expanded research is needed focusing on the role of maternal stress as a potential mediator of the IPV– child adjustment link in low-income African American families. Parenting stress refers to a type of maternal stress that relates specifically to the challenges associated with parent- Ashley E. Owen and Nadine J. Kaslow, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University; Martie P. Thompson, Department of Public Health Sciences, Clemson University. These data are drawn from a study funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grant R49/CCR419767-0, titled “Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment in Black Families,” awarded to Nadine J. Kaslow. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Ashley E. Owen, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, 2764 Candler Road, De- catur, GA 30034. E-mail: aeowen@emory.edu Journal of Family Psychology Copyright 2006 by the American Psychological Association 2006, Vol. 20, No. 3, 505–513 0893-3200/06/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/0893-3200.20.3.505 505