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Domestic Violence and Children Behavior

How Domestic Violence Impact on Children Behaviour in United States

Chew Ji Cheng
Language and Knowledge
Miss Shivani
3rd of December, 2014

Domestic Violence and Children Behavior

Background of Study
In the preceding 30 years, there are escalating concern in the scope and psychological
effect of exposure to domestic violence on childrens development, which subsequently
resulting in an incline of empirical study about its pervasiveness and effect on the youngest
victims (Hague & Mullender, 2006; Hazen, et al., 2006). Despite the fact that the emphasis of
this concern and understanding has mainly been achieved by extracting the assessments of
women, recent literature has focus to discover the impact of exposure to domestic violence on
children and young people (Buckley, et al., 2006). In United States there is more than 10
million of children had been exposed to domestic violence between their parents every year
(Straus 1992). More than half of the female victims are live in household with children who
ages under 12 (U.S. Department of Justice 1998). There is between 3.3 million and 10 million
of children in United States are at risk of exposure to inter-parental violence, in addition there
is around 30% to 60% of children are the direct targets of abuse (Bourassa 2007).
Domestic violence happen when a family member use violence or abusive behaviour
to treat and control another family member, for example physical or emotional abuse directed
at partner, siblings children or elders. The problems posed by children, who exposed to
domestic violence, not merely affecting their physical condition or safety, but even their
psychological alteration, social associations, and academic attainment. In addition, the
influence of domestic violence could even surpass the period of experience and the direct
consequences, and occasionally take place years later, distressing the children into adulthood
(Margolin & Gordis, 2000). However, there is only limited studies which have examined the
effects of domestic violence on children behaviour. Therefore, it would be a great interest to
examine and proposes the effects of domestic violence on children behaviour in the United
States.

Domestic Violence and Children Behavior

Literature Review
Domestic Violence (Independent Variable)
In United States domestic violence is prevalent and domestic violence is particularly
and common for women and children. According to the joint survey from Carlson (1984),
Straus (1992), and Holden (1998), there is in the range of 3 to 17.8 millions of children are
exposed to domestic violence every year in the United States. Besides that, according to the
studies of United States Department of Health and Human Service (USDHHS) (2006), there
is around 900,000 children are categorized as maltreated by their parent and other caretakers.
A common definition domestic violence is any incident of threatening violence and behaviour
or abuse (whether emotionally, physically, financial, sexually or psychologically) between
adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or
sexuality (Pearson, et al., 2006). On the other hand, Council of Europe (1986) defined
domestic violence as any act or omission committed within the framework of the family by
one of its members that undermines the life, the bodily or psychological integrity or the
liberty of another member of the same family or that seriously harms the development of his
or her personality. In three of five cases, children suffered from emotional abuse, neglect or
physical abuse where their mother also subject to violence from their partner (Hester, et al.,
2007). Domestic violence bring the worst outcome for children in most of the cases (Hester,
et al., 2007). Holden (2003) define domestic violence assaultive and coercive behaviours that
adults use against their intimate partners. The features of domestic violence with potential
implications for children include its type severity injurious and specific acts and duration,
timing, age and frequency at exposure (Holden 2003). Other dimensions with possible
implications for children include its type of perpetrator, perpetrators relationship to the child,
escalation, victims behaviour during the assault, and outcome of the assault, such as
continuation, submission, or apology (Holden 2003).

Domestic Violence and Children Behavior

Children Behaviour (Dependent Variable)

The Penguin of Psychology (2009) stated that behaviour is a general term covering
reaction, acts, responses and to name a few. Behaviour can also be refer as controlled and
initiated by reflexes or by tropism which is input stimuli evoking responses and movement
towards rewarding or away from stimuli (The Penguin of Psychology, 2007). Theres a
survey found that, children who exposed to domestic violence will increased internalizing
and externalizing behaviour (Fantuzzo 1991). Children behaviour is a way that a children act,
response, react, behaves and does in daily life and it can be repeated and observed. Behaviour
can be separate into two category which is internalizing behaviour and externalizing
behaviour such as withdrawal, anxiety, depression, suicide and phobia.
There is a lot of study have proved that children may have a range of internalizing and
externalizing behaviour problem after they experienced child abuse such as children can
exhibit a variety of psychological problem which is depression, anxiety and to name a few
(McLeer et al. 1994; McLeer et al. 1998). Teenagers who were abused as children are more
likely to experience anxiety and depression and other internalizing problem, besides that they
are also more likely to have externalizing behaviour problem include violence perpetration
and delinquency (Fergusson et al. 1996; Wisdom 2000; Wolfe 1999; Wolfe et al. 2001;
Fergusson & Lynskey 1997; Herrenkohl et al. 1997; McCabe et al. 2005). Experience to
domestic violence in childhood has been related to similar set of behaviour outcome such as
social withdrawal, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, violence, delinquency and aggression
(Lichter & McCloskey 2004; Litrownik er a;. 2003; Moffitt & Caspi 2003)

Domestic Violence and Children Behavior

The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children Behaviour

Internalizing Behaviour
According to Thill (2014), the actions that direct negative and problematic toward the
self can be defined as internalizing behaviour. Childrens internalizing behaviour refer to a
broad class of behaviour that direct emotions and feelings inward of a children and it
commonly juxtaposed to externalizing behaviour (Donner 2014). Girl who exposed to
domestic violence will exhibits more internalizing symptoms compare to boy (Bourassa
2007). According to the research of Bermann (1996) children who are exposed to domestic
violence will have more anxiety, worry and depressive symptoms compared to those who
have never been experienced to domestic violence. There is few types of internalizing
behaviour such as withdrawn, anxious, depression and somatic. Children were consistently at
higher risk for internalizing behaviour problem if they dually exposed to domestic violence
and child abuse compare to those who had not been exposed and domestic violence witnesses
(Moylan et al. 2009). However, they also found that children who abused witnesses were 187
percent more likely to have internalizing behaviour problem compare to children who did not
witnesses and exposed to domestic violence (Moylan et al 2009).
Domestic violence may cause many effects toward a childrens internalizing
behaviours, for example children may have limited social skills and difficulty learning
(Wilson 2009). Besides that, children who experience domestic violence at home may also
exhibit violence, suffer from depression, severe anxiety and delinquent or risky behaviour
(Wilson 2009). According to Domestic Violence Prevention Centre (2014) if a children live in
a domestic violence environment, they will suffer from psychological and emotional trauma
from the effect of living in a family that is dominated by fear and tension. Corby (2006) states
that there is few characteristic for those children who are exposed to domestic violence, they

Domestic Violence and Children Behavior

will lack of appetite and lack of confidence, they will also become lacking in self-esteem and
self-critical, they will also have problem in developing themselves and masochism. Children
who are exposed to domestic violence were found that they have lower IQ than those children
who are from nonviolence family (Thornton 2014). According to Osofsky (1999) children
who exposed to domestic violence will show excessive irritability in their home or in their
community, they will fears of being alone, emotional distress and sleep disturbances. In
Washington, children who between ages of 6 to 10 that experience domestic violence will
have such symptoms as fear of leaving their home, nightmare, anxiety and a numbing of
affect (Osofsky 1999).
Externalizing Behaviour
Williams (2014) states that externalizing behaviour is the negative behaviour that directed
toward the external environment such as vandalism, threatening other, disobeying rules and
physical aggression. People who have externalizing behaviour will express their feeling
outward to other things or people instead of expressing their negative responses and
emotional to life pressures. Childrens externalizing behaviour refer to the children respond to
external environmental adversity and pressures in different ways. Some of the children may
express their emotional problem outward into externalizing behaviours (Donner 2014).
Children who exposed or witnessed domestic violence will contemporaries increasingly on
seeking support, intimacy and security (Corby 2006). Besides that, children are run away
from home after their home happen domestic violence or themselves exposed domestic
violence in United States (Corby 2006). In 587 reports of runaways of children there is under
half had been physically abused and a hospital in United States found that 84 percent patients
being treated for alcohol or drug addiction had been physically abused (Corby 2006).
Moreover, there is around 20 percent of abused children involve in commit crime as juveniles
(Corby2006). Children who exposed domestic violence in the home tend to not do so as well

Domestic Violence and Children Behavior

in school, many of them will have more problem with schoolwork and they will have poor
focus or concentration compare to children who did not exposed domestic violence (Wilson
2009). These children will have a bigger risk to substance abuse, criminal behaviour and
juvenile pregnancy than those who did not experience domestic violence at home (Wilson
2009).
Few studies found that more of the children who witness domestic violence will be
affected by violence as adult which is either they be the perpetrators or victims (Wilson
2009). There is many survey found that, a children will have more aggressive behaviour if
they are from violence family such as involved in fighting up to three times and bullying
(Wilson 2009). Moreover, children who exposed domestic violence in the home will have
behavioural and personality problems such as suicide tendencies, psychosomatic illness and
bedwetting (Wilson 2009). The recent report found that victims of domestic violence will
afraid to be near the scene or the place of the violence event they had witnessed, they often
will afraid to go to sleep or wake up with nightmares and showed a limited range of emotion
(Osofsky 1999). Children who living in violence environment will less likely to explore and
show motivation to master their environment (Osofsky 1999). Student who witnessed
domestic violence are found that their overall functioning, school performance, attitude and
social competence are often affected negatively compare to those children from nonviolence
family (Osofsky 1999). Besides that, as the children grow older they are more likely to
commit crimes, perform poorly in school, experience sexual problem, emotional problem and
alcohol abuse. Moreover, children will also tend to show high levels of aggression, truancy
and revenge seeking after they experience domestic violence (Osofsky 1999). According to
Bourassa (2007) parent are role model to their children they will highly influence to their
children, children who live in a domestic violence environment believe that violence is

Domestic Violence and Children Behavior

acceptable for resolving conflict and it is normal to use violence to deal with people around
them.

Conclusion
In conclusion, domestic violence is an action that may cause a long term effects
toward a family and all the family members especially children. Even though the children are
not the victim of domestic violence, however the family members of the children experience
domestic violence may also impact to the childrens behaviour. Children may change on their
behaviour day by day after they exposed or witnessed domestic violence because children
still small they do not know how to overcome their fear. Over time the fear will become a
stress or a torture for the children. There are many side effects of domestic violence toward a
children internally and externally. For example, anxiety, depression, withdrawal, suicide,
phobia, aggressive behaviour and to name a few. If people around you are experience
domestic violence or your family happen domestic violence, its time to stop them because
domestic violence is an action that may bring harm and injury to someone or it may cause of
homicide. We must stop violence before it is too late and prevent it before it start, there are
few ways to prevent domestic violence. For example, ask the victims to report police, create
an awareness campaign which can evoking the victims. Children should be living in a safety
environment, they should grow up happily. Parent should be the one who protect their
children not the one who torture them because it is parents responsible. Besides that, parent
is childrens role model what parent did will influence children a lot, parent should be a good
role model to their children. One of your action may change someones future, think about it
before you do it.

Domestic Violence and Children Behavior

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