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Effects of Domestic Violence on Children - Part 2
- Emotional injuries
- Low self-esteem
- Fearful
- Insecure with home environment
- Delayed emotional development from lack of emotional nurturing and security
- Depression
- Guilt feelings
- Feelings of responsibility for the violence
- For not being able to prevent or stop the violence
- For failure to intervene during the violence to protect the parent
- Aggression toward others
- Model aggressive and violent behaviors
- Use violence to resolve conflicts
- Use violence to distance others from them
- Distant and Preoccupied
- Main concern is on what is happening at home
- Fear for safety of the parent and self
- Maintains distance from others so no one discovers violence in the home
- Shame
- Poor school adjustments, both with their education and their peers
- Truancy
- Stays at home to prevent the violence from happening
- Role reversal
- Older children take on the responsibility of younger children and the household
- Become caretakers for the parents and parenting role of the abused parent
- Abused parent may confide in oldest child as they would an adult friend
- Little opportunity to become involved childhood activities
- Forced early maturity due to violence and family dysfunction
- Running away episodes
- Desire to escape unbearable home situation
- Modeling of behaviors
- Adapts learned victim or aggressor roles
- Often becomes involved in violent relationships as an adult, either the aggressor or the victim
- Alcohol and drug abuse experimentation
- Desire to find escape from violent home situation
- Attempt to find support with others involved in like activities
- Modeling parental behaviors
- Physically, emotionally, and/or sexually abused
- Children may attempt to intervene in violent incident and become physically injured
- Emotional damage when they witness the violence
- Abused parent may become preoccupied with fear and he/she cannot nurture the child
- Child may become victim of sexual abuse if family is dysfunctional in that manner
- Early marriage
- An escape out of a violent home environment
- May be conscious or unconscious desire to create a new home environment
- Delinquency
- Lack of support in home environment and seeks with a strong, usually delinquent, group
- Easy acceptance into delinquent group as long as child "performs" according to standards
- Violence towards parents as adolescents and adults
- Expansion of violence into the community
A Safe Place provides individual and group counseling to child witnesses of domestic violence in both the residential and nonresidential programs. Children learn to deal with feelings of fear and anger, shame and guilt. And they are provided the tools to deal with disagreements and conflict in nonviolent ways. The 24-hour HELP LINE, 847-249-4450; TTY 847-249-6557, can provide assistance in accessing services.
If you would like more information about A Safe Place and the domestic violence help services and programs we provide, please call us at 847-731-7165 or email us at info@asafeplaceforhelp.org. |
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A Safe Place provides individual and group counseling to child witnesses of domestic violence in both the residential and nonresidential programs.
The 24-hour HELP LINE, 847-249-4450; TTY 847-249-6557, can provide assistance in accessing services.
Related Children and Domestic Violence Tips and Articles
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