DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Domestic Violence

Abstract

In the study of the effects of domestic violence on survivors and their children, attention must also be paid to the intergenerational transmission of violence. Thus, children who are exposed to domestic violence are more likely to perpetrate, or become a victim of violence, as an adult. Men who witness violence are almost twice as likely to abuse their partner and children as those who do not witness domestic violence. Likewise, women who are exposed to violence as children are more likely to become victims of abuse as adults.

Table of Contents

Abstractii

Introduction1

Discussion1

Impact on Children2

Impact of Physical Abuse3

Impact of Sexual Abuse3

Impact of Neglect4

Impact of Emotional Neglect4

Impact of Exposure to Family Violence5

Mediating Factors5

Effects of Domestic Violence5

Conclusion6

References8

Domestic Violence

Introduction

The term “domestic violence” implies an act of violence between adult intimate partners. The term has been defined more thoroughly from one clinical source as “a pattern of assaultive and coercive behavior, including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion, that adults and adolescents use against their intimate partners”. Domestic violence is perhaps best characterized as a continuum of behavior ranging from physical, sexual, and psychological abuse to economic (i.e., withholding money and resources) and social abuse (i.e., isolation and control of relationships).

Domestic violence permeates all areas of the population, regardless of age, socioeconomic status, religion, race, nationality, or educational background. The effects of domestic violence are detrimental, not only for the survivors, but for their children, as well as the community.

Discussion

Domestic violence is a growing social problem which affects women throughout the United States regardless of age, social status, race or religion. Each year an estimate of 6 million women is victims of domestic violence in the United States and one in four women are threatened with physical abuse during their lifetime. In the majority of domestic violence cases, the victim is a spouse or partner. Despite domestic violence being an issue of a significant proportion, it remains unstated by health care workers who lack adequate training to treat victims or feel uncomfortable addressing domestic violence issues.

Impact on Children

Child maltreatment is associated with adverse effects and trauma in children as they develop and grow into adulthood. While signs of developmental delays or other difficulties do not always indicate that a child has been maltreated, research has shown that children who are harmed often experience such problems. Immediate consequences such as antisocial behaviors, low self-esteem, and guilt are common; however, even when immediate consequences are not visible, the adverse effects of child maltreatment often surface as the child enters adulthood.

Common feelings that children experience as a result of maltreatment include guilt, shame, fear, and anger. Children may feel that they deserved the abuse, or they may feel guilty or ashamed for disclosing the abuse and possibly causing the dissolution of the family or their own separation from the family. Their fear may manifest itself in nightmares or paranoia, or their anger may translate into aggression. Victims of maltreatment often have difficulty in regulating and controlling emotional responses, and they react impulsively ...