The Path to Resilience: Examining the Moderating Role of Social Support on the Relationship Between Childhood IPV Exposure and Anxiety and Depression

open_access
Open Access
Author:
Witthoeft, Huntley
Area of Honors:
Psychology
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Michelle Gayle Newman, Thesis Supervisor
Kenneth N. Levy, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Intimate partner violence
social support
IPV
IPV exposure
anxiety and depression
childhood exposure to IPV
Abstract:
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern in the United States. While IPV is associated with a myriad of deleterious consequences for victims, children who witness parents’ IPV are also at risk for adverse outcomes. Particularly, childhood exposure to IPV is linked to anxiety and depression (A/D) in children (Asiedu & Baliki, 2025; Howell et al., 2016; Kennedy et al., 2009; Zhang & Zhang, 2025). Increasing attention has been given to exploring protective factors that buffer against negative outcomes in children exposed to parental IPV (Kennedy et al, 2009; Rizo et al., 2011). One such protective factor is social support. The goal of the present study was to examine whether the relationship between frequency of children’s IPV exposure and their A/D symptoms was moderated by social support, both cross-sectionally and over time. Data comprising of 436 participants from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) was utilized for this study. To analyze data, a 2-level multilevel model examined A/D symptoms over time, with time as a Level 1 predictor, and IPV, social support, and cohort as Level 2 predictors. Significant three-way interactions were probed with simple slope analyses. We found that, while social support did not moderate the cross-sectional relationship between IPV exposure and A/D symptoms, high social support did longitudinally moderate the relationship between low levels of IPV exposure and A/D symptoms in children. Further, our analysis indicated that IPV-exposed children with low levels of social support were at increased risk for heightened A/D symptoms over time. These outcomes elucidate conditions where social support plays an important role in the relationship between IPV exposure and A/D symptoms among children.