Effects of Domestic Violence on Children

Many children exposed to domestic violence in the home are also victims of physical abuse. Children who witness domestic violence or are the victims of abuse themselves are at serious risk for long-term physical and mental health problems. Children who witness violence between parents may also be at greater risk of being violent in their future relationships.

In general, children who witness domestic violence in the home can suffer an immense amount of physical symptoms along with their emotional and behavioral state of despair. These children may complain of general aches and pains, such as headaches and stomachaches. They may also have irritable and irregular bowel habits, cold sores, and problems with bed-wetting. These complaints have been associated with depressive disorders in children, a common emotional effect of domestic violence. Along with these general complaints of not feeling well, children who witness domestic violence may also appear nervous and have short attention spans. These children display some of the same symptoms as children who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). On the reverse, these children may display symptoms of fatigue and constant tiredness. They may fall asleep in school due to the lack of sleep at home.  Much of their night may be spent listening to or witnessing violence within the home.  Children who are victims of domestic violence are often frequently ill and may suffer from poor personal hygiene. Children who witness domestic violence also tend to partake in high-risk play activities, self-abuse and suicide.

Prenatal

The physical effects of domestic violence on children, unlike the effect of direct abuse, can start when they are a fetus in their mother’s womb, which can result in low infant birth weights, premature birth, excessive bleeding and fetal death due to the birth givers’ physical trauma and emotional stress. Increased maternal stress during times of abuse, especially when combined with smoking and drug abuse, can also lead to premature deliveries and low-weight babies. When a person is stressed while pregnant, the baby can be born with stress and anxiety and can sometimes have problems with growth.

Infants

Infant children who are present in the home where domestic violence occurs often fall victim to being “caught in the crossfire.” They may suffer physical injuries from unintentional trauma while their parent is suffering from abuse.  Infants may be inconsolable and irritable, have a lack of responsiveness secondary to lacking the emotional and physical attachment to their mother, have developmental delays, and have excessive diarrhea from both trauma and stress. Infants are most affected by the environment of abuse because their brains hasn’t fully developed.

Older children

The physical effects of witnessing domestic violence in older children are less evident than behavioral and emotional effects. The trauma that children experience when they witness domestic violence in the home plays a major role in their development and physical well-being.  Older children can sometimes turn stress towards behavioral problems. Sometimes, children who witness the abuse turn to drugs, hoping to take the pain away. The children, however, will exhibit physical symptoms associated with their behavioral or emotional problems, such as being withdrawn from those around them, becoming non-verbal, and exhibiting regressed behaviors such as being clingy and whining. Anxiety often accompanies a physical symptom in children who witness this abuse in the home. If their anxiety progresses to more physical symptoms, they may show signs of tiredness from lack of sleep and weight and nutritional changes from poor eating habits.

Behavioral symptoms

Children exposed to domestic violence are likely to develop behavioral problems, such as regressing, exhibiting out-of-control behavior and imitating behaviors. Children may think that violence is the acceptable way to solve conflict, and in their intimate relationships, they become either the victim or the abuser. Some warning signs are bed-wetting, nightmares, distrust of adults, acting tough, having problems becoming attached to other people, and isolating themselves from close friends and family.  Another behavioral response to domestic violence may be that the child may lie to avoid confrontation and excessive attention-getting or discipline.

Adolescents are in jeopardy of academic failure, school drop-out, and substance abuse.

Their behavior is often guarded and secretive about their family members and they may become embarrassed about their home situation. Adolescents generally don’t like to invite friends over and they spend their free time away from home. Denial and aggression are their major forms of problem-solving.

Teens cope with domestic violence by blaming others, encountering violence in a relationship or by running away from home.