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Effects of Family Violence Exposure on Adolescent Academic Achievement: A Systematic Review

Millions of children are exposed to family violence around the world; however, the effects on adolescent academic achievement are poorly understood. Using a systematic search and review methodology, we synthesized studies that quantitatively examined the effects of exposure to family violence on academic achievement among adolescents. We searched for peer-reviewed, English-language articles in nine online databases. Thirteen studies that examined adolescents were included, where family violence exposure was the independent variable and academic achievement was the dependent variable. Of those, nine studies identified significant, direct, and negative effects of family violence exposure on adolescent academic achievement, and a further two identified significant, indirect, and negative effects. We found reasonable evidence showing that adolescents’ academic achievement is negatively affected by exposure to family violence. Our review findings indicate the importance of implementing prevention strategies to reduce children’s exposure to family violence, and intervention for those who have been exposed to it. Future research should further examine the moderating and mediating mechanisms by which family violence exposure affects academic achievement.

History

Journal

Trauma, Violence, and Abuse

Volume

22

Issue

5

Article number

ARTN 1524838019899486

Pagination

1042 - 1056

Publisher

SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC

Location

United States

ISSN

1524-8380

eISSN

1552-8324

Language

English

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal