Re: Interviewing children about family violence

[Erin <voodoo@xxxxxx>]

Anna K. Hagemeister wrote:
> 
> I am a research fellow working with Drs. Jeff Edleson and Sandra
> Beeman in the SSW at the U of Minnesota.  We are in the early stages
> of a project in which we will be interviewing women and eventually
> their children about their experiences of family violence.
> These are women who have been battered AND who have been
> involved with their local child protection services agency due to
> allegations (substantiated or not as long as they were investigated)
> of child maltreatment.
> In the second phase of the study, we will be conducting about 25
> indepth interviews with battered women and with one of their
> 10-18 year old children. (The first phase is more brief phone
> interviews with battered women who fit the criteria above.)  And
> potentially with available male partners of the women.
> 
> We are looking for references to papers, etc. that discuss
> interviewing children about their experiences of family violence -
> both if they've witnessed it and/or if they have been the victim of
> physical or sexual or other maltreatment in the same family where
> adult family violence is occurring.
> 
> We have a few things we've gathered, but would like the input of list
> participants.  I would be happy to take personal replies and then to
> compile a list to post to the list in a few weeks.
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> Anna H.
> Annelies Hagemeister, M.A.
> Research Fellow, School of Social Work
> 386 McNeal Hall
> University of Minnesota
> St. Paul, MN  55108
> email: ahagemeister@che2.che.umn.edu
> fax: 612-625-4288
I realize that your message was quite a while ago, and apologize for the
lateness of my response.  Are you aware of Drs. Bette Bottoms and Gail
Goodman and their work on children as witnesses?  They have co-authored
a couple of books and have published numerous articles on the subject. 
In the field of children's testimony and memory, they are unsurpassed.
Dr. Bottoms is at the University of Illinois at Chicago and quite
accessible. Good luck!