Effects of Domestic Violence on Children

“The Effects of Family and Community Violence on Children.” Annual Review of Psychology 51 (2000): 445 – 479. PsychINFO Web. 30 Jan. 2014. Margolin, Gayla, and Katrina A. Vickerman. “Posttraumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents Exposed to Family Violence: Overview and Issues.” Professional Psychology Research and Practice 38.6 (2007): 613 – 619.

As Nitu (2012) notes, many women who are in abusive relationships have a true fear of further violence if they leave, attempt to leave, or seek help in dealing with an abusive relationship. These fears transcend their fears for their own personal safety and move onto their fears of abuse to their children, if any are present. As a society, we have the right to ask that question. As of 2003, domestic violence was costing the United States over 8 billion dollars, with over 1 billion of that cost being for fatalities due to domestic violence situations (Nitu, 2012). Furthermore, the risk for children who are present in abusive relationships rise as well.

The biggest victims of domestic violence are the littlest. The home is supposed to be a safe and secure environment for children with loving parents and free from violence. Children need a secure environment where they can come home to when the outside world is unsafe. However, every year there are millions of children whose homes are not a safe haven. Millions of children are exposed to a parent being violently assaulted.

(2010). The effects of child abuse and exposure to domestic violence on adolescent internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Journal Of Family Violence, 25(1), 53-63. Sternberg, K. J., Lamb, M. E., Greenbaum, C., Cicchetti, D., Dawud, S., Cortes, R. M., Krispin, O., & Lorey, F. (1993). Effects of domestic violence on children's behavior problems and depression.

Children that witness domestic violence in their childhood become aggressive themselves. When domestic violence occurs there are different types of abuse that can take place. Physical abuse is the most common type of abuse. Physical abuse includes slapping, kicking, or anything that is intended to physically harm a person. The second type is emotional abuse which consists of constantly saying things to emotionally harm another individual .

The mental health and service needs of young children exposed to domestic violence: Supportive data. Families in Society, 86(1), 17-29. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230168631?accountid=10825 Pan, H. S., Neidig, P. H., & O'Leary, K. D. (1994). Predicting mild and severe husband-to-wife physical aggression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62(5), 975-981.

Along with this, domestic abuse also affects all socioeconomic backgrounds. (The United States of America. U.S. Department of Justice.). Domestic violence is something that affects everyone, not only the person who is facing the abuse. Children who live within a household that domestic abuse takes place within face severe consequences.

Regrettably, children are victims of domestic violence too. The challenging battle amid intimate partners is continuously a burning research topic correlated to the ill effects that the violence has on children. Therefore, it is reputed that the impact of witnessing domestic violence would have the capability to place a magnitude of severe consequences on children. Innocent Victims of Domestic Violence Each year, an overwhelming number of innocent children are exposed to domestic violence. Children witnessing domestic violence in America are a significant dilemma that continues to be of high concern.

These kinds of abuses harm the child’s mental and physical health. The emotional and psychological effects of maltreatment may be far more harmful to the well being of the child than the apparent physical injury. Many studies indicate that abused children are at increase risk of becoming like their parents and repeating the abusive pattern of child rearing to which they were exposed (national committee for prevention of child abuse 1983). Background Child abuse and neglect has recently become the focus of attention of all prevention centers and organizations for children care. Mistreatment of children has existed through history.

Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior in any relationship to maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Is domestic violence abuse? Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions. Such as frightening, intimidation, terrorizing, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injuring or wounding someone. Domestic Violence affects millions of humans in the U.S. regardless of age, economic status, race, religion or education.