Domestic Violence (DV) affects millions of families all over the world and is a huge social problem. In 2011 United States census data estimated that approximately 15.5 million children in the U.S are exposed to domestic violence each year and that number is expected to increase each year (Van Horn & Lieberman, 2011). The impacts of DV on women and children can be life-altering and in many cases deadly. One of the most well-known reasons for child maltreatment is the parents' history of physical abuse during childhood. This intensifies the idea of the chain of abuse across generations, which has been reported since the 1960s (Fujiwara, Okuyama, & Izumi, 2012). Ending domestic violence is one of the nation's toughest social problems because of the shame behind it. Unfortunately, women who are being abused are at least twice as likely to abuse their children themselves compared to women who are not abused (Abell & Ey, 2008). Additionally, a study found that one-third of men who batter their partners also sexually abuse their own children (Abell & Ey, 2008). Subsequently, a national survey of over 6000 families revealed that 50% of men who frequently abused their partners also frequently abused their children (Abell & Ey, 2008). By far the most vulnerable population affected by domestic violence is children, they cannot defend or protect themselves, and they are unable to advocate for themselves. Furthermore, some children do not have the mental capacity to comprehend why their family member would hurt them. Overall, the impacts of domestic violence on kids can be devastating and cause life-long negative consequences in many areas of their lives.
For many children, the impact of living amidst domestic violence is complicated and intermingled with, the impacts of sexual or physical abuse they may also be enduring from the same male abuser (Hester, Abrahams, Harwin, & Pearson, 2006). The wide range of effects children have in cases of domestic violence can incorporate any of the following physical, behavioral and psychological effects, and these can be long-term or short-term. These issues may be influenced by certain biological factors such as age, race, economic status, gender, disability, sexuality and the child's overall resilience (Hester, et. al., 2006). In many cases of domestic violence, children display physical symptoms this is a direct result of the continued stress that these environments create for them. In life, humans have a strong connection between their mind and their bodies because of this the symptoms of stress are often expressed in physical ways. Moreover, prolonged exposure to violence and traumatic events during childhood is linked with poor physical health during the course of one's life (Moffitt, 2013). A child's overall health is affected by their environment and in an abusive home, children often witness or experience horrible things.
Moreover, children living in abusive homes may suffer from, physical injuries, including bruises and broken bones, unhealed injuries, being protective of their mother or siblings by physically intervening, withholding information from adults, they may seem advanced in maturity and in sense of responsibility (Hester, et. al., 2006). Along with behavior changes comes the physical symptoms of abuse that are manifested in various bodily ways depending on the child. In some cases, children present aches and pains, stomachaches, headaches, bedwetting, irregular or irritable bowel movements, insomnia, nightmares, and different sleep problems are all common issues in children living in abusive homes (Hester, et. al., 2006). Children who experience long-term unfavorable childhood experiences, such as exposure to DV, are at increased risk for health issues such as substance abuse, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, and cancer (Yang, et. al., 2013). Children that witness and experience abuse are denied the kind of home life that fosters a healthy development. A study was conducted on the physical health of 102 preschool-age children that were exposed to inter-partner violence. The study showed that children exhibiting more traumatic stress symptoms displayed more health problems (Kuhlman, Howell, & Graham-bermann, 2012). The study also discovered that preschool-age girls were more likely to present health problems than boys. Furthermore, the study also identified that most gastrointestinal problems and asthma were related to poor psychological adjustment after witnessing domestic violence. Additionally, preschoolers living in violent homes may learn to internalize learned gender roles related to victimization, for instance viewing males as perpetrators and females as victims. This trait shows itself as a preschooler imitates the learned behaviors of abuse. The preschooler may mimic aggressive behavior, present defensive behavior, or have severe separation anxiety from the primary caregiver.
Exposure to domestic violence has a significant and extremely negative impact on children's development, affecting their emotional, social, and cognitive functioning and hindering with their ability to learn (Van Horn, 2011). Although children at young ages are not vocal and they cannot tell you about the abuse they have witness they have a sense of emotions, fear is a very strong emotion that children can sense from infancy and they feel a lot more than parents think. Studies have shown that children can be affected by violence as early as infancy (Van Horn, 2011). Additionally, the child can be affected by domestic violence in the womb if the mother is undergoing high levels of stress it can interfere with the development of the fetus and cause problems of the baby. Also, mothers are at risk of having miscarriages if living in an abusive home, the high levels of stress are not good for the mother or her growing baby. In all, the impacts of domestic violence can be heart breaking, many women and children lose their lives because of a violent attack or episode from their abuser.
In most families that have experienced domestic violence the children are usually the witnesses, or they hear what is going on around them and have a difficult time dealing with the emotions or the post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSD) that may follow the abuse. Overall, child victims of domestic violence have higher rates of PTSD, and exposure to acts of violence between their parents can give rise to a strong fear and terror that accompanies the traumatic event (Van Horn, 2011). Exposure to domestic violence, like other toxic stressors, can prevent a child's healthy brain development. This can lead to a difficulty paying attention in school, hyper-startle response, altered stress response and other problems. The symptoms of childhood exposure to domestic violence can be labeled as externalized or internalized symptoms. Externalized are more visible and seen as behavioral problems. Internalized symptoms are less visible and more likely to be identified as mental health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control, children may experience a wide range of psychological issues from abuse including but not limited to PTSD, fear, anxiety, depression, an inability to control their emotions, and suicidal thoughts as a result of witnessing violence between adult caregivers (CDC, 2017).
The issues that children develop from being victims of domestic violence are debilitating and can cause them problems into adulthood if they are not dealt with early in a child's life. Therefore, it is important for child victims to learn healthy coping strategies when dealing with their memories of abuse. Usually, the child feels at fault or that they are the reason for the abuse, this can take a toll on a child's mental and emotional well-being. Children may feel guilty for not being able to help or fix a situation or for sparking an outburst in the abuser. It seems that age plays a big role in how a child will respond to domestic violence in the home, therefore, siblings living in the same abusive household may display a variety of different physical and emotional symptoms. Generally preschool children have more physical symptoms of anxiety like nightmares, bedwetting, and appetite changes. Primary-school children display more complex and broad ranges of stress emotionally and behaviorally. On the other hand, high school children may get relief from their stress through drugs, running away from home, early marriage, and criminal activity (Hester, et. al., 2006).
The long-term consequences of exposure to domestic violence for older youth range from a higher risk for drug and alcohol abuse, running away, sexually acting out, and suicide. Also, boys who grow up with domestic abuse are more prone to abuse their intimate partners, and girls are less inclined to solicit help if they become victims in their adult relationships. Moreover, youth may end up addicts, homeless, they may run away, engage in risky behaviors like turning to a life of substance abuse to forget or escape their memories of the abuse. In fact, the trauma that children endure stays with them for life, a study was done in Sweden that looked specifically at older children's experiences and reactions to living with domestic violence. The study comprised of in-depth interviews with 15 young Swedish people ages 15 or 16 years (Hester, et. al., 2006). The longitudinal study was carried out over a period of four years. All the teenagers lived in conditions of domestic violence. According to the adolescents, they usually had very passive responses to the violence when they were younger, whereas when they got older they were capable of reacting to the violence differently, either by avoiding the violence or running away from home, or by using drugs or alcohol to mask the fear (Hester, et. al., 2006). At other times, the adolescence dealt with the violence by dismissing it, lying about it or creating a false reality for themselves in which there was no violence in their homes (Hester, et. al., 2006). Many of these young adults in the study had experience difficulties at school, poor attendance, truancy and unsatisfactory performance and concentration in the classroom (Hester, et. al., 2006). Thus, it is unfortunate that often times children turn to negative coping strategies like, alcohol, drugs, and crime to block out their issues. Certainly, if the kids themselves are not physically injured, however, there could be substantial damage happening. Children can become very confused and disoriented by what they are witnessing and may believe that they must to side with one the parents in the situation. In some cases of domestic violence, the youth may become involved in the abuse themselves and turn on one of their parents, this happens when the abusive parent has most of the control over the youth and can influence them to hate their other parent.
Younger children's experience of domestic violence must be seen through two different levels, the attachment, and the trauma, because children organize their responses to fear and danger around their relationships with their attachment figures, usually seeking protection from their caregivers in times of stress (Van Horn, 2011). This was clearly seen in Harry Harlow's monkey experiment; the baby monkeys would cling to the milk-free cloth mother for comfort in times of stress and fear. Furthermore, an attachment figure who is not attuned and reassuring or who is the source of the child's fears can heighten the child's stress response (Van Horn, 2011). This is an exceptionally difficult situation for a DV child because children are biologically hardwired to go to their parents for safety and comfort. When a child is living in fear of an abusive attachment figure it causes excess stress and sends their central nervous system out of whack, the same person that they are supposed to go to for protection is causing them harm. Attachment figures can be a child's strongest defense against stress, if they are well fit, but can also present children with developmentally notable challenges if they are cruel (Van Horn, 2011). An attachment figure who is available to the child under conditions of risk and stress can hinder the child's stress response, both physiologically and emotionally, contributing to the child's lack of recovery after a traumatic event and prolonged feeling of stress and anxiety (Van Horn, 2011). When a child does not have a trusted adult that they can turn to for help it can cause them to act out and become angry with all adult figures. Furthermore, it is very important for child victims of abuse to find a trusted adult that can help them find help. Living with domestic violence has negative effects on adolescents, but it is necessary to understand that children are not just passive bystanders to situations happening around them, they will act on and make choices in very individualized ways in order to cope with their stress and to help their situation. Many of the choices made by older children are more severe and harmful to themselves. Research evidence suggests that many children develop complex strategies of survival in order to deal with the stress and adversity they are experiencing (Hester, et. al., 2006). The strategies they use will all be very different, and they will all be dependent on each child's behavioral and emotional development (Hester, et. al., 2006). The survival strategies utilized by adolescents living with domestic violence can also be very different and often times they are extremely contradictory or dangerous. For example, some older children can become protective of their mothers or siblings and take numerous reactive and proactive approaches to keeping their other family members safe, from physical intervention to withholding information and getting help from neighbors or other trusted family members (Hester, et. al., 2006). Some older children even feel extremely concerned for their mother's safety that they try to protect her at all times; in these cases, children may refuse to go to school or fake an illness so that they can stay at home to protect their mothers. Interestingly enough and partly from the way our society tackles domestic violence many children living with DV learn from a very early age that the violence must be kept secret from the world. Children may not be able to fully understand the reasons that they have to keep the violence going on in their homes a secret, but they learn quickly to use an array of strategies to block out the pain and keep the secret for their families sake. This is most likely because of the social stigma and the shame attributed to domestic violence, their need to protect the abuser, or because of fear that they will be taken away from their family (Hester, et. al., 2006). These strategies used might be things like lying about the violence, making up stories to hide the truth, restricting their communication with people and never bringing peers to their home (Hester, et. al., 2006). The pressure of secrecy makes disclosure difficult for children, who may go to great lengths to hide the reality of what is happening at home (Hester, et. al., 2006).
In conclusion, the effects of domestic violence on all parties involved is devastating and irreversible. The impact that domestic violence has on children can lead to an array of biological, physical, behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and psychological effects. The harmful side effects from living in toxic homes can be enough to ruin the life of a child and to continue the cycle of abuse. The life-long struggle associated with victims of violence can cause child victims to live in constant fear of abuse into old age. Also, the fear and anxiety that they have can make it very difficult for them to be in a loving relationship or know what a healthy household is supposed to look like. In all, their trauma can cause problems in intimate relationships and with trusting others. As a result, some victims of violence end up falling into violent relationships of their own because violence is what they are used to, and humans have a tendency to gravitate towards familiarity. In order to put an end to this vicious cycle of abuse women and children need to be educated on the signs of abuse and the necessary safety planning that needs to go into getting out of an unhealthy relationship. In addition, early intervention needs to be used to counteract the effects of witnessing abuse. Likewise, there are various ways to help young children who have witnessed domestic abuse they include but are not limited to school counseling, play therapy, peer support groups, anger management classes, and finding a loving adult that can support the child and help the child heal.