Understanding The Role Of Intimate Partner Violence On Child Development In Lmics

* Abbreviations:\n DHS — : Demographic and Health Surveys\n ECDI — : Early Child Development Index\n IPV — : intimate partner violence\n LMIC — : low- and middle-income country\n MICS — : Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys\n\nIn an important and well-crafted study appearing in this month’s issue of Pediatrics , Jeong et al1 investigate the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) and of maternal and paternal intellectual and social stimulation on early child development in 11 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The study includes data on \u003e18 000 children drawn from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), which are nationally representative household surveys that collect health and population data in \u003e90 countries.2 The DHS include a core survey used in all countries and optional modules on a range of topics that each country may select. This remarkable study using routinely collected data was made possible by the simultaneous inclusion of both the Early Child Development Index (ECDI) module and the domestic violence module in the DHS in these 11 forward-thinking countries.\n\nIn their study, Jeong et al1 provide important national and regional estimates on the contribution of IPV to a low ECDI in children in LMICs. They make use of questions on the nature of parental interactions with the child, allowing a nuanced study of whether differences in paternal or maternal stimulation partially account for the impact of … \n\nAddress correspondence to Leslie L. Davidson, MD, MSc, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th St, Room 1609, New York, NY 10032. E-mail: lld1{at}cumc.columbia.edu