IPV and Children
These are some of the main effects of domestic violence on children:
Internalized Distress:
- depression
- withdrawal
- anxiety/fear
Externalized Distress:
- aggression
- difficult behavior
Stress Indicators:
- problems with sleeping
- problems with eating
- problems with toileting
- lower achievement in school
- taunting
- drug/alcohol abuse
There are several general reactions that children from violent homes are likely to show. the same emotional reactions can be acted out differently according to the child's age.
- Feeling responsible for the abuse
- Constant Anxiety
- Guilt for not stopping the abuse
- Grief over the loss of one parent during seperation
- Ambivalence, or not knowing how they feel
- Fear of Abandonment
- A need for excessive adult attention
- Fear of physical harm to themselves: A significant percentage of children who wittness violence are also abused.
- Embarrassment, especially for older children
- Worry about their future
Print 