Investigators: Melissa O'Donnell, Rebecca Glauert, Scott Sims, Carol Orr
External collaborators: David Preen, Colleen Fisher (University of Western Australia); Max Bulsara (University of Notre Dame Australia)
Intimate partner violence is abuse perpetrated by a current or former intimate partner in the form of physical, emotional, financial or sexual abuse. Intimate partner violence is a major public health concern, with approximately one in four Australian women facing intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
Whilst many studies have investigated the impact of intimate partner violence on women, few have been able to study the impact that exposure to intimate partner violence has on children’s outcomes at a population level. Linking data from WA Police, to data from the Department of Health WA, Department of Communities - Child Protection and Family Support, and Department of Education, will enable researchers to examine the impact that exposure to intimate partner violence has on children’s mental health, education, and birth outcomes, as well as their interaction with the child protection system.
The overarching aim of the project is to understand the health and social outcomes for children, born between 1995 and 2008, who have been exposed to intimate partner violence perpetrated against their mother by a male intimate partner in Western Australia from 2004 to 2008.