The Impact and Possible Effects of Witnessing Domestic Violence as a Child - Essay Example

The impact and possible effects of witnessing domestic violence as a child Domestic violence is the term used to refer to the ongoing experience of psychological, sexual, or physical abuse in the home which is executed in an attempt to exercise control and power over another person. While there has been increase in the awareness about the domestic violence rate in the society, medical community has started to increasingly recognize the public health ramifications of domestic violence. Most of the medical literature elaborates the impact of domestic violence on the primary victim. Its effect on such secondary victims as children raised in such families needs to be researched more. Even in the late 20th century, almost 3.2 million children in America experienced domestic violence annually (Carlson, 1984). This rate has increased further over the years. Children who witness domestic violence are vulnerable to developing different kinds of age-dependent negative influences. Similar psychological effects may be noticed in children who are abused and children who witness abuse being done to someone else. These children may experience a range of such internalized behaviors as depression and anxiety, as well as different kinds of externalized behaviors like bullying, cheating, lying, and fighting. These children are generally noticed to be more disobedient in all sorts of contexts and environments, and accordingly they are likely to experience different kinds of social competence problems. Negative effects of witnessing domestic abuse as a child vary across age span. Children’s need for attachment is disrupted in homes where partners are abused. As infants, these children cry excessively and suffer from different sleeping and eating disorders. As preschool-aged children, they develop different kinds of psychosomatic complaints including abdominal pain and headache. Regressive behaviors such as thumb sucking, sleep disturbance, and enuresis are also observed in these preschool-aged children. Unlike other children who secure a sense of protection and stability from their parents in the preschool years, children who witness domestic abuse do not get these essentials from their parents. These children may feel increased anxiety in strange settings and display behaviors such as crying and whining. Preschool-aged children also experience parasomnias and insomnia. School-aged children show psychosomatic complaints like abdominal pain and headache. They underperform compared to other children at school. Because of the negative effect of witnessing domestic abuse on their confidence and self-esteem, these school-aged children do not make many friends. Many of these children tend to blame themselves for the domestic abuse they witness, thus developing a sense of shame and guilt (Jaffe et al., 1986; Rhea et al., 1996). Adolescent witnesses develop interpersonal problems with the members of their families in general and particularly develop interparental conflict. These adolescents are likely to develop fatalistic perspective of life that causes them to indulge in antisocial and risky behaviors like early sexual activity, delinquency, school truancy, and substance abuse. Another very important aspect of the effects of witnessing domestic abuse on children is use of violence by themselves. According to the social learning theory, children that witness domestic abuse may learn to be violent in their own relationships in the future. Many researchers have considered this relationship between exposure to domestic abuse and use of it by the witnesses subsequently, with many stating their findings in support of this hypothesis. For example, Singer et al. (1998) carried out a research on 2,245 teenagers and children and their research led them to the conclusion that recent exposure to domestic violence was a significant predictor of the violent behavior of the research participants. Sigmund Freud, the famous psychological and behavioral theorist was also of the view that many of the problems experienced by people in the adulthood originate in their early life experiences, particularly the ones that are undergone during the first five years of life (onlineclassroom.tv, 2008). The famous ego-psychologist, Erik Erikson proposed a theory consisting of eight stages of human development, the initial five of which are related to the development of children. Erikson suggested that a specific psychosocial task defines each stage, and a child should be able to resolve the task successfully so that he/she may be ready for the next developmental stage. A balanced outcome defines successful resolution. Children who are able to achieve this balance develop psychological strength and virtues whereas others who cannot achieve this balance fail to develop psychological strength and virtues. The first stage as established by Erik Erikson ranges from the first day of birth till 18 months, and is the stage that decides the development of trust or mistrust in a child (The Greenbook Project, 2006). The task in this stage for a child is to develop trust without eliminating the mistrust’s capacity. In order to develop a sense that the world is a secure and safe place to live in, newborns need consistency, continuity, and familiarity. They depend on their parents, guardians, and/or adults for all sorts of needs. If parents cannot address the needs of their infant, the infant fails to develop the trust. Loud noises and images produced in domestic violence and abuse cause visible distress in the infants. Parents who engage in domestic violence and abuse maximize the tendency of their infants to develop mistrust. The second stage is termed as autonomy versus shame, and it ranges in duration from 19 months to anywhere between 3 and 4 years (The Greenbook Project, 2006). The task for a child in this stage is to develop autonomy along with minimizing doubt and shame. The most important people for a toddler are caregivers or parents. In order to optimize their children’s tendency to develop autonomy, parents should neither push nor discourage their children from exploring the world. Children develop self-control and self-esteem when parents adopt a tolerant and firm approach in parenting. Children raised in families where parents exhibit domestic violence and abuse have a limited and restrained sense of autonomy, and they are raised in an environment of fear and instability. As a result, children may start to overdepend upon the parent who does not abuse them, and be depressed and anxious in general. The third stage defined by Erik Erikson that ranges from 3 to 4 years to anywhere between 5 and 6 years, is the stage of initiative versus guilt (The Greenbook Project, 2006). The task for a child in this stage is to learn the initiative to manipulate the environment. Children develop a sense of conscience, purpose, as well as their sexual identity. Children start identifying with parent of the same sex. As a possible effect of this stage, children may feel guilty or responsible for domestic abuse and violence. Particularly, boys have a tendency to develop aggressive behavior to express their emotions. Witnessing the exchange of conflicting messages between parents or caregivers at home may force the children into withdrawal and confusion. The fourth stage of child development defined by Erik Erikson ranges from 6 to 12 years and is termed as industry versus inferiority (The Greenbook Project, 2006). In this stage, the task for a child is to experience the outside world so as to develop a positive self-concept and a capacity for industry. Children particularly learn social skills in this stage. Witnessing domestic violence at home and experiencing cultures of other families where there is no domestic violence leads children to developing inferiority complex and insecurity. Children may also try to mediate the domestic violence as they become more aware of the way domestic violence affects their family members. If their attempts and successes are not reinforced or recognized, children are likely to develop a poor concept of self. The fifth stage of child development as identified by Erik Erikson is identity versus role confusion and this stage ranges in duration from 13 up to 20 years (The Greenbook Project, 2006). The task for a child in this stage is to avoid role confusion and develop ego identity. In order to achieve this, children need to integrate all learning gained about life into a unified self-image. Balanced outcome in this case is attainment of psychological strength of fidelity. Teens have a choice of either protecting the victim of domestic violence and abuse or join the aggressor. In an attempt to escape abuse, many adolescents run away, use drugs, or commit different sorts of delinquent acts. Adolescents start feeling more responsibility for taking care of their family members. Degradation of the abuser may cause the teenagers to attain a distorted sense of self as a result of which, the tendency of these teenagers to develop healthy relationships as adults is marred. In spite of the growing evidence of the negative effects of witnessing domestic abuse on child psychology, not all children experience negative effects. Their reactions and risk levels on domestic violence are upon a continuum in which certain children show enormous resiliency whereas other children display significant maladaptive adjustment signs. Children’s tendency to deter the psychological effects of witnessing domestic abuse can be increased with the use of such protective factors as social intelligence, outgoing temperament, intelligence, strong relationships with peers and siblings, and a healthy psychological and emotional relationship with a nonabusive parent. There is a wide range of factors that determine the extent to which domestic violence may impact the psychological development of a child. These factors include but are not limited to nature of violence, elapsed time since exposure to domestic violence, age of a child, gender of the child, and presence of sexual or physical abuse in the child. Children who witness severe forms of domestic violence frequently are likely to experience more distress in comparison to children who witness episodes of domestic violence occasionally. Level of psychological and emotional distress is higher in younger children who witness domestic violence and abuse compared to older children. Older children take lesser effect of the domestic violence because their cognitive abilities to understand domestic abuse and identify and adopt coping strategies are more fully developed. Children’s anxiety level is higher instantly after the occurrence of domestic violence compared to any point in time afterwards. More externalized behaviors like acting out and aggression following witnessing of domestic violence are observed in boys compared to girls, whereas girls have a higher tendency than boys to show internalized behaviors like depression and withdrawal (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2009). Children who personally experience physical abuse during domestic violence are at greater risk of developing psychological and emotional maladjustment compared to children who just witness domestic violence. Domestic violence and abuse affects the psychological and social development of children in a number of negative ways. Children vary in their tendency to be affected by domestic violence and abuse depending upon their age, exposure to domestic violence, frequency of domestic violence, and a range of other factors. A detailed study of the matter from the perspective of Erik Erikson’s theory of child development suggests that children start being affected by witnessing domestic violence and abuse from the very initial days of their life, and the effects of witnessing domestic violence affects their psychosocial development. Healthy psychosocial development of a child imparts the need for parents to abstain from exhibiting domestic violence. Children exposed to domestic violence might need behavioral and cognitive therapy. References: Carlson, BE 1984, ‘Childrens observations of inter-parental violence’, In: Roberts AR. Battered women and their families: intervention strategies and treatment programs, New York: Simon & Schuster. Child Welfare Information Gateway 2009, Domestic Violence and the Child Welfare System, [Online] Available at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/domestic_violence/impact.cfm [accessed: 18 March 2014]. Jaffe, PG, Wolfe, D, Wilson, S, and Zak, L 1986, Similarities in behavioral and social maladjustment among child victims and witnesses to family violence, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 142–145. onlineclassroom.tv 2008, psychology, psychologists, and research methods, [Online] Available at http://onlineclassroom.tv/files/posts/introduction_to_psychology_free_chapter/document00/PsychologyASforAQAchapterone.pdf [accessed: 18 March 2014]. Rhea, MH, Chafey, KH, Dohner, VA, and Terragno, R 1996, The silent victims of domestic violence—who will speak? Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 7–15. Singer, MI, Miller, DB, Guo, S, Slovak, K, and Frierson, T 1998, The mental health consequences of childrens exposure to violence, Cleveland, OH: Cayahoga County Community Mental Health Research Institute, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University. The Greenbook Project 2006, The Co-Occurrence of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse and Neglect: A Guide for Crisis Center Advocates, [Online] Available at http://www.thegreenbook.info/documents/Final_Guide_for_Advocates.pdf [accessed: 18 March 2014]. Read More