Paid Family Leave: An Upstream Intervention to Prevent Family Violence.

PURPOSE: Family violence imposes tremendous costs on victims and society. Rarely are policies focused on the primary prevention of family violence. Given the prevalence of family violence-including child maltreatment and intimate partner violence (IPV)-during the perinatal period, policies targeting this vulnerable time period may be successful in primary prevention. Paid family leave (PFL) programs provide income-replacement during particularly stressful family events, such as the birth of a child.

METHOD: In this commentary, we describe the conceptual links between PFL, child maltreatment, and IPV, suggesting that PFL may be a promising strategy for the primary prevention of child maltreatment and IPV.

RESULTS: There is emerging evidence that policies targeting the early years of life may reduce child maltreatment and IPV.

CONCLUSION: Addressing the concrete and economic challenges faced by caregivers is one promising strategy for the prevention of family violence.