Does the Use of Childcare Services Reduce the Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on the Quality of Life of Children?: Multiple-Group Structural Equation Modeling

Children who witness intimate-partner violence (IPV) in their households often suffer serious effects. This study sought to determine if using childcare services, such as public and private daycares, improves quality of life (QOL) for these children. We looked for improvement in the relationships between (1) IPV and children’s QOL, (2) IPV and primary caregivers’ depressive symptoms, and (3) family function that would be associated with children’s QOL. From February–March 2018, a cross-sectional study using self-report questionnaires was conducted throughout Japan with parents of children aged ≤19 years. From this survey, the data from 884 primary caregivers of children <6 years old were used for this study; 520 used childcare services. Relationship aspects were measured using the Woman Abuse Screening Tool-Short, the PedsQL General Core and Infant Scales, the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and the Family Apgar Scale. Multiple-group structural equation modeling was used for analysis. For families using childcare services, IPV was only negatively associated with family function (β = −.36). However, for those who did not use childcare services, IPV was negatively associated with children’s QOL (β = −.10), positively associated with primary caregivers’ depressive symptoms (β = .11), and negatively associated with family function (β = −.44). Family function was positively associated with children’s QOL (β = .15). Results indicate that childcare services can buffer both the negative impact of IPV on children’s QOL and depressive symptoms for caregivers exposed to IPV, highlighting these services as important health interventions and the need for policies encouraging abused parents with preschool children to use childcare services.