The Effects of Domestic Violence on Children

This article provides a good introduction for practitioners working with children who witness family violence. The article summarizes the effects domestic violence can have on children such as; aggressiveness, depression, anxiety, learning disabilities, and sleep deprivation. The author stresses the importance of proper identification and assessment of children exposed to domestic violence. There are four goals of intervention described in this article: reducing the child’s sense of isolation, helping children to understand their

Allan R. DeJong wrote the article, “Domestic Violence, Children, and Toxic Stress”. This fourteen-page article was published on September 1, 2016, and contains relevant information pertaining to the topic. The author of the article is the medical director of the Children at Risk Evaluation Program. DeJong has conducted medical evaluations for the victims of child abuse for nearly thirty-five years. The main viewpoint of this article is to provide a detailed explanation of the effects of domestic violence on children. The author describes lifelong consequences of childhood trauma and adversity. DeJong also explains that we as individuals need to have intervention for children exposed to domestic violence.

How far can children be said to be affected by domestic violence? Discuss in relation to recent research in this area.

Violence in any form can have a lasting effect on a person. Children who witness violence are permanently scarred because of what they are seeing. Children who witness family or domestic violence are affected in ways similar to children who are physically abused. Children are often unable to establish nurturing bonds with either parent and are at a greater risk for abuse and neglect if he or she lives in a violent home. Statistics show that an estimated 3.3 million children are exposed to violence against their mothers or female caretakers by family members in their home each year (Ackerman & Pickering, 1989). When a spouse, woman or male is abused, and there are

The “estimated overlap of domestic violence and child abuse is 30 to 50 percent” of all cases (Henderson 321). As the child grows older and sees the violence in their household there is a possibility that the child will think that it is acceptable.

Domestic violence is a widespread sociological problem wherein women and children are most often the victims. This sociological problem is compounded by the fact that so much domestic violence goes under-reported, whether against women or children. Domestic violence may take a wide range of forms and may include a variant combination of battery, sexual abuse, verbal abuse or general violence. Targets of such behaviors may include a spouse, child or both. For the purposes of this research, there will be an interest in noting the impact on children who are exposed to violence both directly as the victims of abuse or indirectly as witnesses to spousal abuse. In either instance, the same findings are anticipated. Namely, the primary thesis driving the

Cross, T. P., Mathews, B., Tonmyr, L., Scott, D., & Ouimet, C. (2012). Child welfare policy and practice on children's exposure to domestic violence. Child Abuse & Neglect, 36(3), 210-216. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2011.11.004

Domestic violence also greatly impacts the family structure and the relationships between the members. Domestic violence threatens both the relationship between the child and their mother and the child and their father. Children who are exposed to domestic violence do not have an emotionally available parent to foster their development and have a 30-60% higher risk for being abused by the perpetrator (NCADV, 2007); when the father is the perpetrator of the violence, he often knows little about his children, their interests, and progress in school (Crosson-Tower, 2009, p. 84). The mother’s parenting style may also be damaged from domestic violence; the perpetrator may not allow the mother to take care of her children properly or soothe them when they are upset, which can cause the children to believe their mother does not care for them. When a mother is constantly traumatized by domestic violence, it can be more difficult for her to be present and attentive in her children’s lives due to depression, anxiety, and lack of sleep (Centre for children and families in the justice system, 2009). Domestic violence has an impact on the ability for a family to function. The perpetrator may sow divisions between the members of the family by turning them against each other, or favoring one child over the others. There may also be role reversals in families who experience domestic violence; parentification of the children and infantilizing of the mother may

A nationwide concern has become prevalent and caused a developed of concern for children who have been exposed to intimate partner violence or domestic violence (DV). A percentage of the likelihood that a child will be exposed to physical domestic violence in the United States in their lifetime has been at approximately sixteen percent (Finkelhor et al. 2015). A child’s exposure to domestic violence might be

When faced with domestic violence these children sometimes carry on violence when they become adults or blame themselves. This article explores theories and situations that show the long term and short term effects of domestic violence. They identified 41 studies that provided relevant and adequate data for inclusion in a meta-analysis. Forty of these studies indicated that children 's exposure to domestic violence was related to emotional and behavioral problems, translating to a small overall effect (Wolfe, Crooks, Lee, McIntyre-Smith, & Jaffe, 2003).

Domestic violence as a form of trauma can have an impact on victims and varies in the form in which it occurs. Domestic violence can occur directly to an individual or family or indirectly as exposure to domestic violence. The Department of Justice defines domestic violence as “a pattern of abusive behavior in a relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner”. According to Cross, Mathews, Tonmyr, Scott and Catherine, (2012), for children, exposure to domestic violence can be defined as “a child directly witnessing physical or psychological violence between adults, overhearing the violence, or seeing its aftermath (e.g., resulting injuries or emotional harm)”.

Domestic violence has grown to become a prevalent issue within households in the United States. Being such a great issue, we come to question the percentage of children affected and the impact it has on their social development and interaction with others. It is crucial for us to understand and recognize the long term effects that domestic violence can have on adolescents.

The effects on children living within violent, volatile households is a concern for professionals involved with children. It is now recognised as a form of abuse and any child which is seen to be living in a dangerous household may be removed for their own safety and emotional well-being. This can although be hard for professionals to prove as people living in violent relationships often hide the fact they are being abused and almost protect the offender. Educational settings working with children are trained to safeguard children within their care although the quality of this training throughout the country is questionable and improvements may need to be implemented to ensure children and the victims of domestic violence are being protected and the offenders of this crime are brought to justice.

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).