The Effects of Domestic Violence on Children

1170 Words3 Pages

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 child falls into, the more likely they are to develop mental health issues later on in their life (Meltzer, Doos, Vostanis, Ford, and Goodman, 2009). The research conducted by Meltzer et al. (2009), was used to study the factors that were intertwined with domestic violence, as well as to better understand the needs of children who have witnessed the violence at a young age.

In the article “The Mental Health of Children Who Witness Domestic Violence”, Meltzer et al. (2009) noted that domestic violence is not only limited to seeing the actual violent acts taking place, but it also includes witnessing the outcomes of the violence. These outcomes can include seeing their parent hurt and depressed, as well as noticing the broken objects left around the house. As well as defining domestic violence, Meltzer et al. (2009) discussed the steps that were taken to conduct a random research on families and children that had been exposed to domestic violence and those who had not. The researchers identified...

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...hing a sample of people. Instability in a relationship or a household does not only affect the individuals involved, but it also affects the people surrounding those people, such as children.

Works Cited

Hornor, G. (2005) Domestic violence and children. Journal of Pediatric Health Care.19 (4), 206 -212. doi:10.1016/j.pedhc.2005.02.002

McFarlane, J., Groff, J., O’Brien, A. & Watson, K. (2003) Behaviors of children who are exposed and not exposed to intimate partner violence: an analysis of 330 black, white and Hispanic children. Pediatrics, 112 (3), e202-e207

Retrieved from http://www.pediatricsdigest.mobi/content/112/3/e202.short

Meltzer, H., Doos, L., Vostanis, P., Ford, T., & Goodman, R. (2009). The mental health of children who witness domestic violence. Child & Family Social Work, 14 (4), 491-501.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00633.x

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