Children who witness domestic violence

Domestic violence affects every member of the family, including the children. Family violence creates a home environment where children live in constant fear. Children who witness family violence are affected in ways similar to children who are physically abused. They are often unable to establish nurturing bonds with either parent. Children are at greater risk for abuse and neglect if they live in a violent home.

Statistics show that over 3 million children witness violence in their home each year. Those who see and hear violence in the home suffer physically and emotionally.

"Families under stress produce children under stress. If a spouse is being abused and there are children in the home, the children are affected by the abuse." (Ackerman and Pickering, 1989)

How is Domestic Violence unhealthy for children?

Children react to their environment in different ways, and reactions can vary depending on the child's gender and age. Children exposed to family violence are more likely to develop social, emotional, psychological and or behavioral problems than those who are not. Recent research indicates that children who witness domestic violence show more anxiety, low self esteem, depression, anger and temperament problems than children who do not witness violence in the home. The trauma they experience can show up in emotional, behavioral, social and physical disturbances that effect their development and can continue into adulthood.

Some potential effects:

Emotional

Grief for family and personal losses.
Shame, guilt, and self blame.
Confusion about conflicting feelings toward parents.
Fear of abandonment, or expressing emotions, the unknown or personal injury.
Anger.
Depression and feelings of helplessness and powerlessness.
Embarrassment.

Behavioral

Acting out or withdrawing.
Aggressive or passive.
Refusing to go to school.
Care taking; acting as a parent substitute.
Lying to avoid confrontation.
Rigid defenses.
Excessive attention seeking.
Bedwetting and nightmares.
Out of control behavior.
Reduced intellectual competency.
Manipulation, dependency, mood swings.

Social

Isolation from friends and relatives.
Stormy relationships.
Difficulty in trusting, especially adults.
Poor anger management and problem solving skills.
Excessive social involvement to avoid home.
Passivity with peers or bullying.
Engaged in exploitative relationships as perpetrator or victim.

Physical

Somatic complaints, headaches and stomachaches.
Nervous, anxious, short attention span.
Tired and lethargic.
Frequently ill.
Poor personal hygiene.
Regression in development.
High risk play.
Self abuse

Statistics

An estimated 3.3 to 10 million children a year are at risk for witnessing or being exposed to domestic violence, which can produce a range of emotional, psychological, and behavioral problems for children. (www.enotalone.com)
A survey of 6,000 American families found that 50 percent of men who assault their wives, also abuse their children. (Pagelow, "The Forgotten Victims: Children of Domestic Violence," 1989)
Research shows that 80 to 90 percent of children living in homes where there is domestic violence are aware of the violence. (Pagelow, "Effects of Domestic Violence on Children," Mediation Quarterly, 1990)
A number one predictor of child abuse is woman abuse. (Stark and Flitcraft, "Women at Risk: A Feminist Perspective on Child Abuse," International Journal of Health Services, 1988)
According to a national study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 903,000 children were identified by child protective services (CPS) as victims of abuse or neglect in 2001. (www.enotalone.com)
Some 80 percent of child fatilities within the family are attributable to fathers or father surrogates. (Bergman, Larsen and Mueller, "Changing Spectrum of Serious Child Abuse," Pediatrics, 1986)
In families where the mother is assaulted by the father, daughters are at risk of sexual abuse 6.51 times greater than girls in non-abusive families (Bowker, Arbitell and McFerron, 1988)
A child's exposure to the father abusing the mother is the strongest risk fact for transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next (American Psychological Association, Violence and the Family: Report of the APA Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family,1996)
In a 36-month study of 146 children, ages 11-17 who came from homes where there was domestic violence, all sons over the age of 14 attempted to protect their mothers from attacks. Some 62 percent were injured in the process. (Roy, 1988)

Please visit http://www.nccpr.org/index_files/Page339.html to read about expert testimony regarding the effects of domestic violence on children.

More resources:

The Alabama Coilition Against Domestic Violence
http://www.acadv.org/children.html
Provides up-to-date information on current research, crisis hot-line, facts, and tools to assist people and children who experience abuse.

The Link Research Project: Understanding the Link Between Child Maltreatment and Woman Battering
www.mincava.umn.edu/link
Provides up-to-date information on current research, practice, and promising intervention models with families experiencing domestic violence and child abuse and neglect.

Resource Center on Domestic Violence: Child Protection and Custody
www.ncjfcj.org/dept/fvd/
Comprehensive publications and technical assistance to the fields of domestic violence, child protection, and custody regarding policy and practice issues inherent in work with children exposed to domestic violence.

Child Witness to Violence Project
www.childwitnesstoviolence.org
Offers general information and trainings about the effects of domestic violence on children, statistics, and the Report on Violence and Children.

The "Greenbook" Federal Initiative
www.thegreenbook.info
Attorney General Eric Holder opens the National Summit on the Intersection of Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment. Hear his remarks: www.ovw.usdoj.gov

Steps to take if you encounter a child who has been a witness to DV:

•Inform the child of your concern about her/his safety and that you intend to speak to the non-offending parent about the situation.

•Inform the non-offending parent of the child’s concerns.

•Ask if the parent is safe and what types of supports would be helpful.

•If possible make a referral to an intimate partner violence support agency or to counseling/social services/mental health for the adult or adolescent victim and their children.

•Follow-up with the parent .