The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children

Another common effect on children who witness domestic violence is that they have severe gender role issues. Clearly, children exposed to the abuse of their mothers are at risk for learning deleterious patterns of social behavior and for developing distorted expectations about the appropriate roles of men and women in the family (Brescoll & Graham-Bermann, 2000, p.2). Therefore, children exposed

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 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.

Over the past two decades, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has received increased attention due to the undeniable ripple effects it has on families. Particularly, children who witness dynamics often seen in abusive relationships may be harmful and can have destructive effects on the development of a child(s). Protecting these silent victims from the long-term effects is important as it may lead to abusive relationships in the future. In this paper, I plan to address the direct and indirect abuse that Jordan and Jessica were subjected to while providing insight on an appropriate theory, assessment, and intervention that speaks to the dynamics of IPV that the children were exposed to.

The Intergenerational Cycle of Violence Theory as it relates to Child Abuse The intergenerational cycle of violence theory in the context of child abuse and neglect suggests that abused or neglected children are significantly more likely to repeat their offender’s actions, or exhibit criminal behavior later in their lives. The potential pervasiveness of this issue is why it is important. If violent behavior can be transmitted from generation to generation through a familial setting, then there are three main variables to the problem: the increased percentage likeliness an abuse victim later becomes an offender, the average number of children born into a violent family, and the criminal justice’s ability to intervene to prevent this transmission. The seriousness of this issue can either be negligible or a widespread health issue depending on the variables.

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

Researchers have determined that approximately one-third of individuals who have been physically abused or neglected in their childhood will later abuse their own children, lending support to theories of intergenerational abuse patterns (Kaufman & Zigler, 1987). However, there are numerous factors that can moderate the perpetration of abuse by these individuals, namely the specific aspects of their childhood maltreatment, cognitive and emotional factors, their interpersonal relationships, as well as the presence of any stressors (Egeland, 1988). One interesting influence of whether an abuse victim in turn victimizes their own child is their perception of the abuse. Many adults who were abused as children do not perceive their parents as abusers, rather thinking that they were just in their actions, and that corporal punishment is necessary to successfully raise a child. As discussed in Whatever it Takes by Paul Tough, some adult abuse victim speak openly of their plans to hit their children, having difficulty comprehending the difference between punishment and discipline. This thought process creates challenges in breaking the cycle of abuse, as the mentality has to change in order to effect change in parenting

Thesis: There are contributing factors such as cultural norms, or risk factors such as, how you were raised, and different vulnerabilities, that contribute to the likelihood of someone becoming involved with, and staying involved with someone who mentally and physically abuses them. When these risk factors interact with other factors such as, witnessing abuse as a child, it can increase the chances of negative outcomes such as, staying in an abusive relationship, greatly for some individuals.

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).

In their research, Said Pournaghash-Tehrani and Z Feizabadi intend to determine the predictability of physical and psychological violence occurring from early Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which they describe as either witnessing or being the victim of domestic violence. To determine this, they administer questionnaires to couples seeking divorce due to domestic violence and assess the types of physical and psychological violence and their history of abuse from their parents. They find that witnessing domestic violence as a child can effectively predict various types of physical and psychological violence such as hitting and cursing. The information they learn here is supported by multiple other research results that all show witnessing

It has been noted the vital role that mothers play in a child’s healthy development. Therefore if mothers are abused research done by Sandra A. Graham-Bermann, Co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Family Violence Research Program, has shown that “Children who were exposed to parental violence had many more behavioral problems, exhibited significantly more negative affect, responded less appropriately to situations, were more aggressive with peers, and had more ambivalent relationships with their caregivers than those from nonviolent families.” (Graham-Bermann, S. A., & Levendosky, A. A., 1998). Another factor that can play a negative role in a child’s development is that parents may hold unreasonable expectations from their children due to how they themselves were brought up. Seymour Rosenberg a head of the department of Psychology at The State University of New Jersey helped their study come to the conclusion that “It has also been shown that abusive parents often have unrealistic expectations for their children-expectations based on distorted perceptions of their children's needs, feelings, and abilities” (Herzog, E. P., Gara, M. A., & Rosenberg, S., 1992). Due to this it can cause the child to grow up confused and scared which may lead them to use the same maltreatment towards their kids which will only further the intergenerational abuse. However, Research has also shown that

Young boys in the family who grow up watching their father mistreat their mother are more likely to abuse their spouse as they grow older. Past family history of domestic violence gives young boys the idea that women are weak and are not to be respected during their relationship. Young girls who eyewitness their family going through domestic violence are likely to be victimized by their spouse (Goldsmith 1).

Other limitations may include location- a child who had experienced these forms of maltreatment and lives in a difficult neighborhood may experience more severe behaviors than children who live in affluent neighborhood. Previous sociological research suggests that people with higher socioeconomic status are less likely reported for domestic disputes, so abuse can go unreported more often, which would mean our sample may include more children from less affluent families who may live in poverty. The data may be harder to collect considering the sensitive nature of this study and the confidentiality

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.

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