The Effects Of Domestic Violence On Children

Lorenzo 'Shakes' Carcaterra was a boy from Hell’s Kitchen, New York, in the 1960’s. Shakes is of Italian decent and lives with his father and mother in a small apartment. Lorenzo’s father worked long hours for little pay and was quick to anger and used violence to control the household. Shakes witnessed the physical and emotional abuse of his mother. He never confronted his father, but always tried to play the peacekeeper between the two. Shakes mother was not fluent in English and had a hard time connecting to the community and her son. The trauma that Shakes went through because of the domestic violence shaped his psychological and social development. Shakes was a resilient kid and sought social support from three boys: Thomas "Tommy" Marcano, Michael Sullivan, John Reilly and various other men in his community.

Groves, B.M. (1999). Mental Health Services for Children Who Witness Domestic Violence. The Future of Children, 9(3), 122-132.

The third resource that I used is from the Office of Justice Programs/Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). A specific article titled “Intimate Partner Violence in the United States” shows a graph of intimate partner violence rates declining from 1993 to 2006. The article is quite vague, with no real description or stats stating whether or not men commit more violence against women than women do against men. “Violence between intimates is difficult to measure because it often occurs in private, and victims are often reluctant to report incidents to anyone because of shame or fear of reprisal” (S. Catalano).

It is also stereotyped that a man is the one to be the abuser. This is not true. Men are almost equally abused or taken advantage of. “Historically there has been a culture of permission that accepts and condones violence against women” (Dr. Jerkins, White, Joseph). As a society we live by this. Thinking it only a man who is an abuser when naturally domestic violence can and is sometimes a mutual on going. A women slapping and throwing things is more

The formative experiences that define a child's home life will have a lasting impact on the individual as he or she enters the later stages of childhood, adolescence and adulthood. The degree to which one's family life is loving, nurturing, supportive and attentive is a substantial determinant in emotional, social and intellectual development. Accordingly, a home which is abusive, violent, negative and neglectful is more than likely to have deleterious effects for the child both while and well after maintaining residence there. This turns us toward the focus of the present study, which is the impact levied by domestic violence on children.

Domestic abuse is a very serious offense, and it needs to be stopped. It is not only a legal offense, but it is a humane offense. Abuse is wrong and lead to very serious consequences for the abuser and the abusee. Relationships are very important and are a wonderful part of life, but they can crumble when tension and strain are not properly taken care of. This can lead to abuse, and once abuse starts it can be difficult to stop. This is why prevention needs to be improved and strengthened. In order to strengthen domestic abuse prevention there needs to be more focus on counseling, classes, and programs.

More than one million people have experienced domestic violence. Mostly women are more likely to be abused or either killed by a partner. Most people that goes through abuse suffers from depression and low self-esteem. Men are also victims of domestic

Domestic violence is the most overlooked, misunderstood offense. Anyone can go through it, but many can’t endure the pain it brings. According to (www.helpguide.org), people whose partners abuse them physically and sexually are at a higher risk of being seriously injured or killed. Most people wonder why doesn’t the victim leave the relationship, well it is not that easy. “The question, ‘Why does she stay?’ is code for some people for, it’s her fault for staying,’ as if domestic violence victims intentionally choose to fall in love with men intent upon destroying us” -Leslie Morgan Steiner (www.azquotes.com).

It is estimated that between 10 and 20 percent of children in the United States are exposed to domestic violence annually (Carrell & Hoekstra, 2010). What are the thoughts and feelings of children who are exposed to violence within the home? Children who are exposed to domestic violence can become fearful and anxious. They tend to be on guard, watching and waiting for the next event to occur, a sense of hypervigilance. What are the outcomes of these children as they get older? Does the cycle of abuse continue as adults? The answers to these questions will be further discussed in this paper.

It is also known that domestic violence usually increases in frequency and intensity. Research has shown that about 2 to 4 million women will experience some kind of domestic violence each year in the United States, and about 23% to 34% of women will experience domestic violence in their lifetimes. This aggression towards women results in physical injuries, physical health problems, psychological disturbance, and, in some cases, death.

Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner through physical and emotional abuse. Women are much more likely to be victims of intimate partner violence with 85 percent of domestic abuse victims being women and 15 percent being men. (http://www.americanbar.org/groups/domestic_violence/resources/statistics.html) Too many women have been held captive by domestic violence -whether through physical, financial, emotional abuse or a combination of all three- it is a serious epidemic in our society that needs attending

We have seen until know how common is domestic violence between sexes but it is very important to highlight some points that can help you to recognize an abusive act or relationship.

Throughout the course of one’s lifetime, there are countless events that shape the personality, actions and mentality of that individual. Some of these events will affect the individual in a positive way allowing great life opportunities, while other events will unfortunately affect the individual in a negative way which can lead to disorders. Among the various events that can affect a person, one of the most common occurrences that some children witness early on in their lives that deeply affect their long-term mental health is being a witness to domestic violence. Research and observations that were studied revealed that there are multiple factors that can contribute to a child witnessing domestic violence. The more categories that the

Domestic violence affects 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men (NCADV, 2015). Although the devastating effects that domestic violence has on women are well known, there is a population of domestic violence victims that we tend to overlook. These are the children of the women and men who are in domestic violence situations. Children are the invisible victims when it comes to domestic violence. There are many statistics being thrown around when it comes to the number of children who are exposed to domestic violence; they range from as little as 200,000 to even 3-18 million (Sousa et. al., 2011). A 2001 study discovered that in 75% of the cases in their study, children were present in the home during the assaults (Hutchison & Hirschel, 2001).

Not only women and children, men can be victims as well. But their experiences during violence are different. Men tend to bury their thoughts deep in the heart; it means they would rather be silent than speak out. Most likely men are mental victims in violence compared to women. Overall, speaking of the size, women and children are still the main victim in terms of domestic violence.