L’impatto della violenza assistita sui minori: attaccamento, locus of control ed esiti psicopatologici

Lorenza Di Pentima; Alessandro Toni; Grazia Attili

doi:10.3280/MAL2021-002006

The impact of witnessed violence in minors: Attachment, locus of control and psychopathological outcomes

Journal title MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL’INFANZIA
Author/s Lorenza Di Pentima, Alessandro Toni, Grazia Attili
Publishing Year 2021 Issue 2021/2
Language Italian Pages 25 P. 83-107 File size 271 KB
DOI 10.3280/MAL2021-002006
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Aim of the present study was to explore the impact of witnessed domestic violence by mi-nors in terms of mental health outcomes, attachment bonds and locus of control. The partic-ipants were victims (n = 30) of witnessed violence in the family (average age: 11.58 years, DS = 2.01) compared with a control group (n = 60; average age: 11.03 years, DS = 1.96). The hypotheses verified were the following: 1) victims of witnessed violence in comparison with control group have more frequently an insecure attachment, assessed by the Separation Anxiety Test (Attili, 2001); 2) victims of witnessed violence reveal a more severe psychopathological structure, assessed by the Psychiatric Scales of Self-Administration for Children and Adolescents (Cianchetti & Sannio Fancello, 2001); 3) victims of witnessed vio-lence have a more external locus of control, assessed by the Nowicki-Strickland Scale (1973). The results show that children, witnesses of violence in the family, compared to the control group, are more insecure; in particular, they are avoidant and ambivalent. They show a symp-tomatic structure that includes the dimensions of Anxiety, Depression, Eating Disorders and Somatization. Finally, they reveal the presence of higher levels of external locus of control.

Keywords: witnessed violence; attachment; psychopathological outcomes; locus of control; children.

Dysfunctional Parental Care and Emotional Dysregulation: A Pilot Study on the Mediating Role of Attachment Styles and Alexithymia in a Sample of Young Women Lorenza Di Pentima, Alessandro Toni, in Journal of Adult Development /2025
DOI: 10.1007/s10804-025-09523-z

Lorenza Di Pentima, Alessandro Toni, Grazia Attili, L’impatto della violenza assistita sui minori: attaccamento, locus of control ed esiti psicopatologici in "MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL’INFANZIA" 2/2021, pp 83-107, DOI: 10.3280/MAL2021-002006