Impacts of Domestic Violence on Children's Health

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Domestic violence (DV) is a pattern of controlling behavior that involves abuse by one family member or intimate partner to another (e.g., marriage or cohabitation). There are varied forms of DV that range from subtle, coercive forms, to violent abuses, which can result in death. According to affects Jain & Chaturvedi (2010), “DV affects humans of all age groups, worldwide”. It takes place in various relationships, such as heterosexual or LGBTQI relationships and it can also be directed toward children in the family. For the purposes of this paper, the author will analyze the impacts of DV on the health of children. This will be done in attempts to broaden current knowledge on this issue from a social work perspective.
Family Violence
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They may have stomachaches or even diarrhea due to the tension (“Effect of Domestic Violence on Children”). Often “easy babies” are simply frozen in trauma. And, if a parent, caregiver, or attachment figure is the source of the distress, then the child will stray from them. It has also been found that childhood exposure to DV increases the likelihood of mental health problems and revictimization in the future (“Trauma, Brain, & Relationship: Helping Children Heal, 2013”).
As children grow older they might feel responsible for the DV incidents. This is because their brains are developing and they are becoming more logical with the passage of time. They might even use survival tactics or moral reasoning (e.g., identify with the batterer in attempts to stay in their good graces or act as a mediator to stop the violence). Social learning theory (Bandura, 1977) also suggests some children may repeat the abusive cycle by lashing out on other family members. These scenarios could be physically dangerous to the child and cause them immense strain for the rest of their life.

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