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Children And Domestic Violence Negatively Affects Children 's Health And Development Essay

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Children’s exposure to domestic violence negatively affects children’s health and development. Millions of children are exposed to domestic violence on a daily. 3.3-10 million children are exposed to domestic violence annually (Wilson Pg.9). Many children’s futures are affected by the things they witness. Majority of what they witness alters they’re outlook on many situations that occur. There’s no secret that domestic violence has been around for decades. The first serious known case of domestic violence that actually went to the courts was back in the 1800’s. Domestic violence was and still isn’t considered to be just a physical thing. It may involve physical aggression (directed at an individual or object), verbal threats, and coercive/ degrading sex (Spilsbury 2007). Exposure to violence is a multidimensional concept and may include behaviors such as directly observing the incident, hearing (but not seeing) the incident, observing the immediate effects of the incident (but not the assault itself), or being told (or overhearing conversations) about the incident (Holden 2003). Domestic violence witnessed by children alters their psychological development. Exposure to domestic violence is thought to be particularly damaging to children’s development because it typically involves both a perpetrator and victim(s) who are known to the child (Groves 1999). Preliminary evidence suggests that children who witness domestic violence and who are themselves abused exhibit greater

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