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Previous studies have shown that children exposed to IPV in the home have increased risk for many problems, including also being abused at home; school problems; poor health; risk-taking behavior; and becoming perpetrators of violence.

In 2006, the Group Health study team published evidence that IPV resulted in significantly higher health utilization and costs for women. This current study is the largest ever to examine the link between mothers exposure to IPV and their childrens health utilization and costs. The study is also unique in that it examined a large middle-class population and one that is very representative of Seattle, said Rivara.

Intimate partner violence harms everyone in our society, and it must be viewed as not acceptable either for women or their children, he added.

The researchers found:

• Health care utilization and health care costs were higher in most categories of care for children whose mother had a history of IPV, with significantly higher levels of mental health costs and services, primary care visits, primary care costs, and laboratory costs. Overall, the annual costs of health care were 11 percent higher than those for children of mothers without IPV.

• Children of mothers with a history of IPV that ended before the child was born had significantly greater utilization of mental health, primary care, specialty care, and pharmacy services. Health care costs were 24 percent higher for children in this group compared to children whose mothers had experienced no IPV in their lifetime.

• Children exposed directly to IPV after birth had greater emergency department and primary care use during the IPV and were three times as likely to use mental health services after the intimate partner violence ended. They had 16 percent higher primary care costs than did children of mothers without IPV.

The authors recommend that health care providers
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