Domestic Violence Effects On Children Research Paper

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

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.

Research shows that over eight million children living in American homes witness intimate partner violence (IPV) (Hamby et al. 2011). These young American children are at the greatest risk of being exposed to IPV than are older children (Fantuzzo and Fusco 2007). IPV has been defined as psychological, physical, or sexual harm that is inflicted by a current or former partner spouse. This violence can range from a single incident to chronic and relentless abuse (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2014). Witnessing IPV can be severe effects on these young children later in life including being at higher risk to abusing substances, (Smith et al. 2010), as depression (Graham-Bermann et al. 2009) and posttraumatic stress disorder

At the beginning, the article states that three to four million children witness domestic violence in their household. Then, it clarifies that witnessing domestic violence can range from seeing the actual incident to seeing its aftermath. The article explains the different emotions, such as anger and fear, that children whom witness domestic violence can feel. The article also describes the most common behaviors these children display at home and school. Lastly, the article thoroughly explains the distinct emotional and physical effects that domestic violence has on children.

People are exposed to violence on a daily basis, whether it is through media, personal relationships, or simply observed during daily activities. The few types of violence that are most prominent in today’s society are physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, and domestic violence. Domestic violence is one of the most problematic and dangerous forms of violence that exist due to the detrimental effects it has on the individuals directly involved, children who witness these acts of violence, and society as a whole. Both men and women can be victims of domestic abuse, however, Safe Horizon states that, “1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime” (Safe Horizon). Everyone who experiences or witnesses domestic abuse are affected in detrimental ways. The abusers often have anger problems or lack of impulse control which only progresses. The victims become physically and emotionally scarred and the children who fall witness to parental domestic violence develop issues with emotional and behavioral functioning as well as social competence. More often than not, domestic violence is a learned behavior by children in abusive homes. Research conducted by The American Medical Association estimates that over 3.3 million children observe spousal abuse every year (Bennett, 1995). Because of this, children will believe this behavior is ‘okay’ and may even

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).

Research into the impact of domestic violence on children evidences three overlapping contexts within child experiences; firstly, where they either directly or indirectly witness the violence, instances where they are entangled in the violence or are being used in the abuse and thirdly, circumstances where they are themselves abused (Radford and Harne 2008). There are many impacts on a child when domestic violence occurs; short term and long term. These range from physical, behavioural and physiological effects which can be influenced by a number of factors like race, gender, disability, etc. Some of these effects are; physical injuries, withdrawal, self-harm, self-blame, silent and secretive, bedwetting, depression, disruptions in school, eating difficulties and low-self-esteem (Pearson, Harwin and Abrahams.

Psychologist definition of children exposed to domestic violence differs from the legal definition. The most commonly used definition for children’s exposure to domestic violence in research is when children hear, are directly involved, or experience the aftermath of physical or sexual assault that occurs between their caregivers (Evans et al., 2008). Researchers account for children who may not directly witness the domestic violence. Holt, Buckley & Whelan (2008) conducted a review of the literature to examine if children who witness domestic violence while it is occurring have similar outcomes when compared to children who hear domestic violence or experience the aftereffects of it (e.g. bruises on parent, broken furniture). There is variability

Exposure to domestic violence can impact the behavioral, social-emotional, and cognitive development of children. Children who are exposed to domestic violence tend to exhibit more aggressive behaviors with their peers, show signs of depression, and have a difficult time forming relationships (Brown & Bzostek, 2003). Cognitively, studies have shown that children exposed to domestic violence may have difficulties learning and concentrating in school, have difficulties with conflict resolution skills, and may believe in male privilege, (Brown & Bzostek, 2003). Concentration is difficult for children exposed to domestic violence because of how unsafe they may feel in their surroundings. They may be preoccupied with the violence that is

Domestic violence has long been a hot topic and statics shows that” every 15 seconds a woman in the United States of America is beaten” (Beller 2015, p. 207). Most of what we talk about when we discuss domestic violence is the man or woman that is the victim, rarely via media does anyone put to the forefront the children. Children are the most affected by the effects of abuse in a relationship be it a marriage or partner situation. They are the unspoken and often unheard victims. There are many aspects or directions that can be undertaken in discussing the tiny victims of domestic violence. choosing only one aspect to share and hopefully shed some light on how this affects them as a child and possibly later in their emotional development and growth.

Children who are exposed to domestic violence they may experience negative effects like emotional, mental and social damage, including academic problems, anxiety, behavioral problems, insomnia and irritability. They could becoming sick more often having headaches or stomachache. That can affect them for the rest of their life. Children experience Domestic Violence in many ways. First is when they hear or see one of their parents physically hurt the other and, cause injuries. Children who experience this kind of Domestic Violence may live with the fear that something will happen again. It has been estimated that every year there are about 3.3 to 10 million children exposed to Domestic Violence. Children who see violence in their home may have the same effects as children who are abused. Children who live with Domestic Violence may learn the wrong concept about

Domestic violence has an impact on children. Although they are not direct victims of the attacks, physical or verbal, the impact may cause them suffering serious problems in childhood and later in his adolescence and adult life.

(Brescoll & Graham-Bermann, 2000, p.2). Another mental health problem that children who have witnessed domestic violence experience is adjustment problems. There appears to be a wide spread belief that children who witness violence between their parents are at a greater risk of later adjustment difficulties that may include behavior problems (Fergusson & Horwood, 1998, p.3). Young people reporting high levels of exposure to inter-parental violence had elevated rates of adjustment problems by age eighteen (Fergusson & Horwood, 1998, p.1). It is suggested that there are elevated rates of behavioral, emotional, and other problems in children exposed to inter-parental violence (Fergusson & Horwood, 1998, p.3). There seems little doubt that children reared in homes characterized by inter-parental violence were at greater risk of later adjustment difficulties as young adults (Fergusson & Horwood, 1998, p.11). It is quite apparent that there is a link between the witnessing of domestic violence and the mental health problems of the children who witness it.

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

Long-term problems are inevitable with young children who witness domestic violence inside their homes on a day to day basis. Most people who witness domestic violence as children see it as adults; males are likely to engage in domestic violence, while females are likely to become victims. With this