Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence Essay

Groves, B.M. (1999). Mental Health Services for Children Who Witness Domestic Violence. The Future of Children, 9(3), 122-132.

(Brescoll & Graham-Bermann, 2000, p.2). Another mental health problem that children who have witnessed domestic violence experience is adjustment problems. There appears to be a wide spread belief that children who witness violence between their parents are at a greater risk of later adjustment difficulties that may include behavior problems (Fergusson & Horwood, 1998, p.3). Young people reporting high levels of exposure to inter-parental violence had elevated rates of adjustment problems by age eighteen (Fergusson & Horwood, 1998, p.1). It is suggested that there are elevated rates of behavioral, emotional, and other problems in children exposed to inter-parental violence (Fergusson & Horwood, 1998, p.3). There seems little doubt that children reared in homes characterized by inter-parental violence were at greater risk of later adjustment difficulties as young adults (Fergusson & Horwood, 1998, p.11). It is quite apparent that there is a link between the witnessing of domestic violence and the mental health problems of the children who witness it.

The first five years of a children’s lives are when he or she are most vulnerable to negative developmental effects due to trauma. More than half of the school age children in domestic violence shelters show clinical levels of anxiety or post traumatic stress disorders. (Myers, 2002) “Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an emotional illness that usually develops as a result of a terribly frightening, life-threatening, or otherwise highly unsafe experience” (Edwards, 2009). Because children in these early ages have little understanding of the situation, children may interpret the acts of violence as a result of something they have done wrong. Small children will complain of stomachaches. Children may learn unhealthy was of dealing with anger, meaning they might have outburst of anger and rage or may just withdraw. Children may regress to an even younger age crying, whining or sucking their thumb. Children will learn that this violence is acceptable behavior. With out intervention and therapy, negative behaviors can be carried over to adolescence and adulthood (Moore, 2004).

Mullender et al. (2002) highlighted the fact that although most children manage to remain strong throughout the violence, their mothers were highly aware of the psychological and behavioural consequences it had had upon their children, such as being left with a trauma disorder (Chemtob and Carlson, 2004) along the lines of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (McCloskey and Walker, 2000). Whilst the children were able to display large amounts of ingenuity and adaptability, many children showed signs of being “withdrawn; fearful and anxiety; nightmares and disturbed sleep; becoming overly compliant or aggressive” Mullender et al. (2002, pg 78), with Thiara (2010) acknowledging that ‘selective mutism’ was another common effect that domestic violence had upon children. It was also observed that the children who dealt the least well were the ones where they have experienced longer term violence, where there was a “severe depletion of the mother’s physical and emotional resources” (Mullender et al., 2002, pg 94) and where the family had moved house many times.

The effects of intimate partner violence are attenuating and extend far beyond physical scarring. The abuse of woman and children has been researched extensively by Rachel Pain (2014, p. 536) as acts of “terrorism within the home”. If we are to compare the experience of women and children living in violent homes and the act of ‘terrorism’ itself we get a corresponding experience (Pain, 2014, p. 546). The construction of fear, the loss of identity, the ongoing distress of constantly feeling unsafe, isolated from all support networks are the surreal and ongoing daily struggles for domestic violence victims. Living in such horrific conditions has immense physical and psychological effects on those directly exposed or indirectly exposed to such violence. Through this research the links between domestic violence and ill health has been well-established. In an attempt to combat this prevalence element two of It Stops Here (NSW): a “streamlined referral pathways to support victims’ safety and support their recovery” was introduced (NSW Government, 2014, p. 18). Through this second element, there has been a strong focus on being able to better identify risk and supporting victims. From the inquest inquiry into Luke’s death, Coroner Ian Grey stated that "I find that there is no validated risk-assessment tool that can accurately predict whether a parent is likely to commit filicide." (ABC News, 2015). In an attempt to close the gap on such issues in July 2015 It Stops Here (NSW)

There are millions of examples of children who not only witness intimate partner violence (IPV) but also has been victimized. ( Christoff, Murrell & Henning, 2007) Children exposed to these kinds of violent behavior at such a young age also show signs of these behaviors, many violent, as adults. Evidence shows that witnessing violent behavior as a child correlates to patterns of abuse into adulthood as well. (Murrell et al., 2007) Over the years there has been a growing recognition that young people who witness IPV is has much of the same impact as a child victimized of abuse. This often damages their long term social and emotional well-being. Having a safe place outside of the home along with a supportive

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is defined as sexual, physical or psychological abuse by a current or past spouse or partner and is one of the largest public issues the Unites States faces today. It is estimated that roughly 15.5 million children live in a household effected by IPV in the United States (Gustafsson, Coffman, Cox 2014). Children who are effected by IPV are more likely to have behavioral issues along with their development being negatively impacted (O'Campo, Caughy, Nettles 2010). It is important to research IPV to see how it can be minimized as much as possible along with seeing how people are effected by IPV.

According to the United States department of Justice, Over sixty percent of American children are exposed to a type of violence every year (Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., Ormrod, R., Hamby, S., and Kracke, K. 2009). These forms of violence can be perpetrated by a victims home, community or school, with majority of children knowing the perpetrator(s). These experiences with violence whether primary or secondary, can cause serious psychological trauma to a child and in worst case scenarios death. The 2009 survey by the Department of Justice also found that children exposed to any form of violence were more likely to engage in violence in the future and almost forty percent of these children were exposed to multiple acts of violence ( pg.2). The

Recently, there has been an emphasis on the adverse effects of children 's exposure to violence between their adult family members and the

It is clear that children who are exposed to intimate partner violence experience numerous threats. Although, the social, expressive, and mental problems we are starting to see in children growing up in these homes can be prevented. Thankfully many advocates, clinicians, and scholars have stepped up to bring about community acknowledgment of this severe situation. In order to stop the intergenerational affects on these children, we must find a way to stop intimate partner violence before it begins. It is important that we have Human Services as a field to continue to help and educate these clients and the world with resources, because without it, this nightmare, inside of homes will only continue.

Over the past two decades, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has received increased attention due to the undeniable ripple effects it has on families. Particularly, children who witness dynamics often seen in abusive relationships may be harmful and can have destructive effects on the development of a child(s). Protecting these silent victims from the long-term effects is important as it may lead to abusive relationships in the future. In this paper, I plan to address the direct and indirect abuse that Jordan and Jessica were subjected to while providing insight on an appropriate theory, assessment, and intervention that speaks to the dynamics of IPV that the children were exposed to.

Intimate partner violence (or IPV) encompasses physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional harm from a partner. Approximately 25 percent of women and only 1.5 percent of men endure severe physical abuse, while 20 percent of women experience rape, the number for men is still 1.5 percent. Additionally, 50 percent of both men and women experience some kind of psychological aggression. This means that women are typically

The study assessed 113 preschool age children who were exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV). The study was about five weeks long and it focused on preschoolers who were given an intervention and those who did not participate in the intervention. The population was children under six years of age who were exposed to IPV.  The children attended the Kids Club Program which is a recognized program to assist children exposed family violence. The children who participated were between the ages of 4 and 6 years old. The participants met for 10 sessions that lasted five weeks. Each session lasted one hour with five to six children participating. The intervention was in a community setting at Education Centers or Shelters at outreach programs.

This research proposal entails the lives of children who have experienced domestic violence amongst their parents. My research proposal will depict whether or not violence and the interventions, if any, they received were of any benefit to those populations of children. These interventions could have come from a child protection specialist, a school teacher, or a shelter program advocate and many other professionals. Revealing this information will provide useful considerations for current and future interventions. Furthermore, it can lead to what has been needed most, some of the best intervention practices. An intervention should be perfect for each child with a goal to reduce any trauma that may be present. Furthermore, these interventions should provide the children with a clearer understanding of domestic violence, provide more safety, encourage resilience, and strengthen the bond with the non-offending parent, who is a victim as well. By interviewing and working with non-offending parents and their children it helps

Throughout the course of one’s lifetime, there are countless events that shape the personality, actions and mentality of that individual. Some of these events will affect the individual in a positive way allowing great life opportunities, while other events will unfortunately affect the individual in a negative way which can lead to disorders. Among the various events that can affect a person, one of the most common occurrences that some children witness early on in their lives that deeply affect their long-term mental health is being a witness to domestic violence. Research and observations that were studied revealed that there are multiple factors that can contribute to a child witnessing domestic violence. The more categories that the