The Detrimental Effects Of Domestic Violence On Children

In 2011, twenty-two percent of children in the NatSCEV study had witnessed violence in their homes, schools, and communities in the past year (Richards, 2011). Domestic violence is a violent confrontation between family or household members. It is an epidemic affecting individuals in every community. Domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families. When you hear about domestic violence, you most likely think of a man and woman; however, nobody fully understands the detrimental effects it has on the children who witness it first-hand. Every year an estimated 3.3 million to 10 million children are exposed to domestic violence in their home (Richards, 2011). Around 900,000 children have been found and classified as …show more content…
Some of the effects of witnessing community violence is acting it out, having higher stress levels, more depression, and belligerence. A study of 935 high school students found that exposure to community and school violence were significant predictors of boys’ aggressive and acting-out behavior while only exposure to school violence significantly predicted girls use of aggression (Edleson, 1997). Children’s observation of television and other media violence were likely to be influential factors in their development of aggressive and illegal behaviors. There are a few programs at this time aimed for the safety of the …show more content…
Although they may be too young to understand the domestic violence taking place, witnessing or hearing a family member being threatened or beaten can destroy a young child’s sense of safety and security (Tomison, 2000). Also, brain development and the emotional well-being of the toddler or infant are also negatively affected. Since many people feel that infants are unable to conceptualize the experiences of domestic violence, these issues that they face are often ignored.
Besides those who witness the abuse, there are many long-term consequences that the parents face from a domestic violence relationship as well. Most people may think about the physical effects, but there’s more problems than just broken bones and bruises (Culp-Ressler, 2014). The physical abuse is certainly a huge part of the effects. However, people need to go beyond visually to see that there are the mental effects too. They face high levels of stress, depression, anxiety, and PTSD (Edleson, 1997). Compared to the average person, the parents are fifteen times more likely to use alcohol and