Kayleigh Hasson

Mrs. Bagley

Intern/Mentor GT

13 January 2016

The Consequences of Childhood Exposure to Domestic Violence

Mariel, 11 years old, heard her parents screaming at each other. She wondered if her dad

would get really angry and shove her mom again like he did a few weeks ago. She worried about

her brothers Joel and Marty, who were 8 and 5 years old. Marty would cry and shake when their

parents fought, and Joel became filled with hatred and threatened to hurt their dad. One day, their

mom picked them up from school and took them to their aunts house instead of home. Their

mom obtained a protective order against their dad, and the children returned home to find their

father gone. They were finally happy and at peace - for the first few days. After a week or so,

Mariel felt guilty about being happy her dad was gone, and Joel blamed himself for driving his

dad away. Marty cried for his dad at bedtime. Their dad made no effort to contact or see his

children, telling his friends that their mom had turned the children against him. Even with

distance from the abuser and time after the trauma, the family continued to feel the impact of the

abuse (Bancroft).

Their mother persisted in raising her children on her own. She taught them respect and

rebuilt her own social life. The children recovered well from the exposure to domestic violence,

but suddenly their father reappeared, demanded visitation rights, and won them in court. Mariel,

Joel, and Marty regressed emotionally and behaviorally as they saw their father more often,

falling back into their old habits. Joel, like his father, bullied his mother and siblings. Marty
struggled to fall asleep at night, sometimes crying about the jokes his dad made about his

mom. Mariel stopped confiding her feelings in her mother. They noticed that their dad made

disparaging comments and punished them too harshly. They felt loyal to both parents, though,

and did not want to reveal the worst of their fathers behavior for fear of losing him again. They

continued to go on visits with him, although conflicted, and were once again exposed to his

abusiveness and manipulation ... reawakening traumatic memories (Bancroft).

Domestic violence, also known as intimate partner violence or IPV, is defined as a

pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors including physical, sexual, and psychological

attacks by adults or even adolescents against their intimate partners. Physical abuse could

include hitting, slapping, beating, strangulation, kicking, and brandishing a knife. Examples of

psychological violence are isolating the victim from friends and family, excessive control, verbal

abuse, stalking, destruction of their property, humiliation, and threats (Behind Closed Doors).

This abuse can directly and indirectly affect children in the household as well; a large overlap

exists between IPV and child maltreatment (Intimate Partner Violence). Children can not only

be injured during fights between their parents, but also suffer from long-term consequences of

exposure to intimate partner violence. Children who witness or are victims of domestic

violence must be separated from the abuser or the abusive environment because child

maltreatment and childhood exposure to domestic violence causes lasting physical and

psychological consequences to the child and is correlated with an increased likelihood of

future relationship violence.

Immediate and long-term physical consequences exist as a result of child abuse and

neglect. If a child is abused during infancy or early childhood, some areas of the brain might
not form properly, impairing cognitive and language abilities, socioemotional development, and

mental health. Severe head trauma can also lead to visual, motor, and cognitive impairments,

and in extreme cases, blindness, cerebral palsy, or even death. Nationwide, over 1,500 children

died as a result of abuse and neglect in 2014. Abuse also increases a childs risk for chronic

diseases and other health problems such as heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, liver

disease, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high levels of C-reactive protein

(Child Abuse and Neglect). Exposure to domestic violence poses a risk to childrens physical

development, as the consequent emotional stress can harm the development of their brains.

This impacts the childs later physical and emotional functioning, with long-term

consequences on brain growth (Behind Closed Doors).

The connection between exposure to domestic violence and impaired brain functioning

relates to stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol in particular, which are present in increased

amounts in the brains of children who are exposed to violence and trauma. Excessive amounts

of these stress hormones impair the brains response to stimuli and cause heightened and

unhealthy levels of fear and anger (Conyers). Violence between parents influences childrens

development into adulthood (Hunt), and physical problems resulting from abuse continue as

children grow older. For example, teenage girls who are physically or sexually abused are six

times more likely to become pregnant and twice as likely to get an STI, whether it be as a direct

result of the abuse or in later intimate relationships during adolescence (Dating Abuse). Child

maltreatment and childhood exposure to violence can both have short- and long-term physical

effects on the child.

 Furthermore, domestic violence can cause psychological, behavioral, and emotional

problems. As teens, victims of abuse are at least 25% more likely to experience problems such

as delinquency, teen pregnancy, and low academic achievement. Abused children are 59% more

likely to be arrested as juveniles. They have a greater chance of becoming a teen parent and a

lower chance of graduating high school than adolescents who grew up in a nonviolent household.

In addition, victims are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behaviors as adults.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 4 out of every 5 young

adults who had been abused as a child met the diagnostic criteria for at least one psychiatric

disorder by the time they were 21. Problems include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and

suicide attempts, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder, conduct disorder, and learning,

attention, and memory difficulties. Child maltreatment is detrimental to individuals abilities to

establish and maintain healthy intimate relationships in adulthood, damaging their social and

romantic prospects (Child Abuse and Neglect).

The stress of chronic abuse makes victims of domestic violence more susceptible to

mental illnesses and more likely to commit crimes. A recent study showed that abuse increased

the likelihood of adult criminal behavior by 28% and violence crime by 30% (Child Abuse and

Neglect). 90% of prison inmates report being abused as children. Abused children are also more

likely to turn to smoking, alcoholism, and drug abuse as adults than those who were not exposed

to violence as children. They tend to develop destructive habits due to altered self-concept and

behaviors. This stems from their impaired nervous systems and brain chemistry, which results

from experiencing domestic violence. Children exposed to domestic violence are 50 times more

likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs and six times more likely to commit suicide (Conyers).
 Exposure to domestic violence causes some of the same behavioral and psychological

problems as child abuse itself. These problems include limited social skills ... violent, risky, or

delinquent behavior ... depression or severe anxiety, among others. Children can also have

problems sleeping, increased irritability, emotional distress, fear of being alone, immature

behavior, and problems with toilet training and language development. Children exposed to

domestic violence often display trouble concentrating, focusing, and learning in school; 40%

had lower reading abilities than children from nonviolent homes. Exposure to intimate partner

violence also affects childrens social development; some children lose the ability to feel

empathy for others or become isolated and unable to make friends because of social discomfort

or confusion over what is acceptable. Domestic violence at home contributes largely to this

discomfort and confusion. These children also exhibit more aggressive behaviors, such as

bullying, and are up to three times more likely to be involved in fighting. Reportedly, nearly

40% of chronically violent teenagers have been exposed to extreme domestic violence (Behind

Closed Doors). Children who are exposed to domestic violence are often more likely to run

away from home, engage in teenage prostitution, and commit sexual assault crimes due to a

lack of a positive role model in their home lives. As they grow older, they may miss school or

work as well, which brings academic and economic consequences (Domestic and Sexual

Violence).

Child abuse and childhood exposure to domestic violence increase the risk of becoming

involved in relationship violence in the future. Intimate partner violence is often more severe

where the pattern of abuse was established in adolescence. In fact, teen dating violence puts

victims at risk for further relationship violence (Dating Abuse). This becomes a cycle of
violence in which young children are particularly vulnerable as both victims of and witnesses.

For instance, men who experienced or were exposed to domestic abuse as children are almost 4

times more likely than other men to perpetrate domestic violence as adults (Domestic and

Sexual Violence). UNICEF asserts that exposure to domestic violence during childhood is the

single best predictor of children becoming either perpetrators or victims of domestic violence

later in life. Globally, studies consistently show that rates of abuse are higher among women

whose husbands were abused as children or who saw their mothers being abused (Behind

Closed Doors).

In addition to physical abuse, psychological abuse from parents affects childrens teenage

dating relationships, increasing a childs likelihood of being in a violent relationship where he or

she is victimized or perpetrating violence against his or her partner. This can be a few years after

the childhood abuse, or a decade; the effects of psychological abuse are felt long after the abuse

itself stops. Thus, the cycle of violence continues from one generation to the next, and children

influenced by family stress early in life struggle to maintain healthy relationships with a

spouse in adulthood (Hunt). Studies show that over 75% of children raised in violent homes ...

will go on to repeat what they learned when they reach adulthood. They might attempt to

retaliate against their childhood abuser; 63% of homicides committed by individuals between 11

and 20 years old killed the man abusing their mothers (Conyers). Others perpetrate violence

against intimate partners; as children, they may have been encouraged to use violence in

interpersonal relationships to dominate others (Behind Closed Doors).

Methods to break the cycle of violence are being developed and improved upon, but

according to the CDC, the benefits of effective prevention likely outweigh the costs of child
abuse and neglect (Child Abuse and Neglect), so these solutions are worth working towards.

It is essential that children be protected from abusive parents and removed from abusive

environments. This can make a significant difference in the lives of victims (Domestic and

Sexual Violence). Children need more support services to help them cope with their experiences,

and they need adults they can confide in and trust to keep them safe. They also need options to

stay with extended family or at a domestic violence shelter instead of their abusive households.

Meanwhile, abusive parents need intervention and education in order to prevent further violence

(Behind Closed Doors). Progress towards solutions such as these is necessary in order to protect

children - children like Mariel, Joel, and Marty - from the immediate and long term

consequences of abuse, whether those consequences be physical or psychological, and to prevent

the children from being involved in abusive relationships later in life.

 Bibliography

Bancroft, Lundy. A Story of Emotional Injury and Recovery in Children Exposed to Domestic

Abuse. Lundy Bancroft, 2017,

lundybancroft.com/articles/a-story-of-emotional-injury-and-recovery-in-children-exposed

-to-domestic-abuse/. Accessed 8 Jan. 2017.

Behind Closed Doors. Body Shop International, 2008. UNICEF,

www.unicef.org/media/files/BehindClosedDoors.pdf. Accessed 9 Jan. 2017.

Child Abuse and Neglect: Consequences. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US

Department of Health and Human Services, 5 Apr. 2016,

www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childmaltreatment/consequences.html. Accessed 5 Jan.

2017.

Conyers, John, Jr., and Brian Martin. Preventing Domestic Violence Must Begin with the

Children. Hill 4 Nov. 2011: 16. Global Issues in Context. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.

Dating Abuse Statistics. Love Is Respect, National Domestic Violence Hotline, 2016,

www.loveisrespect.org/resources/dating-violence-statistics/. Accessed 9 Jan. 2017.

Domestic and Sexual Violence Factsheet. National Network to End Domestic Violence

(NNEDV), 2014. National Network to End Domestic Violence,

nnedv.org/downloads/Policy/AD14/AD14_DVSA_Factsheet.pdf. Accessed 9 Jan. 2017.

Hunt, Angie. Parent Violence Leads to Teen Dating Abuse. Iowa State, 29 Mar. 2013. Print.
Intimate Partner Violence: Consequences. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US

Department of Health and Human Services, 3 Mar. 2016,

www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/consequences.html. Accessed

3 Jan. 2017.