Consequences of domestic violence.

Dr. Wolfe began his discussion on the consequences of domestic violence by discussing the “children’s paradox.” Children are often torn between a sense of loyalty to their parents and a sense of fear and apprehension in the face of domestic violence. They want to stop the violence but they also want to belong to a family; affection and attention may coexist with violence and abuse. Ironically, children often perceive abuse as a short-term act but the intensity of violence tends to increase over time. There are a number of consequences for children exposed to domestic violence. Unfortunately, most of what is known comes from children in shelters, thus limiting our ability to generalize. Reactions to domestic violence vary and change over the developmental life course. For instance, infants and toddlers may experience listlessness, failure to thrive, and problems with trust while preschool children may react through behaviors such as aggression, cruelty to animals, or clinging. For elementary school-aged children, it is a critical time for learning how to relate to women. Thus, witnessing abuse during this time can foster disrespect for females and reinforce sex role stereotypes. Experiencing domestic violence in adolescence may not only influence school achievement and self-esteem, but also provide the example for dating violence. The effect of domestic violence on children can differ by gender. A man’s history of violence is a more powerful predictor of a violent relationship than is a woman’s childhood history of witnessing violence. Girls appear to be more able to avoid the domestic violence experienced by their mothers, but if they do end up in such a relationship, they are more likely to tolerate it. Factors contributing to resilience include a strong relationship with a positive, caring adult, community safe havens, and certain characteristics of the child including intelligence, self-esteem, and access to resources. 

David Wolfe, Ph.D., The University of Western Ontario.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Domestic Violence: Summary of Recommendations.

 Considering the limitations of existing surveys, direct investigation offers the best hope for defining, substantiating, and understanding children’s exposure to domestic violence and assessing risks and impacts over time . However, as echoed elsewhere, future progress is predicated on standard definitions and data collection, with broader and more inclusive definitions of violence, assessments of risks and history, short- and long-term impacts, and connections to services and follow-up. Population-based surveillance systems that have standard protocols and take a developmental and cultural approach are critical. Too much of what is known comes from children in shelters, thus limiting our ability to generalize. Future research directions should include building a rigorous scientific capacity in partnership with strategic sentinels across municipalities. Researchers cannot adequately assess the impact of violence, including domestic violence, obtain quality information, or de...
Read more

Responses and Discussions related to Children's Exposure to Violence.

 Barbara L. Bonner, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma  Dr. Bonner’s perspective of children exposed to violence stems from her experience working with children after the Oklahoma City bombing, victims of terrorism and natural disasters, and adolescent sex offenders who had prolonged exposure to domestic violence. She stated that in 1962, a seminal article emerged on child maltreatment , and yet in 2002 we still do not have a standard set of definitions. Definitions, however, “drive the field” and enable researchers to conceptualize the problem, as well as incidence, prevalence, and prevention strategies . Meanwhile, researchers have jumped ahead with treatment interventions without the benefit of adequate definitions. It is also important to accurately understand the complexity of the child’s experience , the child’s perceptions and attributions , and those factors that foster resilience. In terms of children exposed to domestic violence, researchers need to employ standard defin...
Read more

Prevalence of Domestic Violence.

 A. Prevalence John Fantuzzo, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania  Dr. Fantuzzo discussed research on the prevalence of children exposed to domestic violence, opening his presentation with the following question: “We see through the glass dimly and is the glass half empty or half full?” In doing so, he was referring to the substantial amount of information lacking in the field, particularly regarding violence prevention and intervention. He cautioned, however, that we should not try to obtain data too quickly, explaining that this can lead to tensions among researchers, advocates, and practitioners, and ultimately leave the field with no standard definitions, no systematic way of substantiating violence or exposure, no organized network of sentinels, and no national prevalence data. Despite the challenges of conducting population-based inquiry , several national reports and databases are attempting to address the data inadequacy problem. These resources include National Crime R...
Read more