Supporting mother-infant relationships affected by intimate partner violence in Prince Edward Island: A pilot project

Purpose. The purpose of this research was to explore the relationships between mothers and infants exposed to intimate partner violence and to investigate its impact on such relationships; to address gaps in literature as there also appears to be a lack of research that explores the association between mother-infant relationships and infant development in families affected by intimate partner violence; and to identify the support needs, resources, barriers to support, and preferences for support intervention that promote mother-infant relationships, from the perspectives of mothers affected by intimate partner violence.

Setting/Participants. Three Prince Edward Island mothers with children less than 36 months at time of interview, who have been affected by intimate partner violence.

Methodology. Qualitative research methods were employed in this pilot project. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants.

Results/Conclusions. All three participants reported changes in their infants as a result of being exposed to intimate partner violence. Some of these changes were more significant than others. Two of the three participants believed that the mother-infant relationship was greatly affected by intimate partner violence, while one participant claimed that it had no effect on her relationship with her infant. The participants expressed a lack of support services for mothers affected by intimate partner violence in Prince Edward Island and identified their abusers as their main barrier in accessing the available support, along with transportation, finances, and lack of knowledge of support resources.