The Mental Health of Children Who Witness Domestic Violence

 Introduction o Study on a child’s mental health that has witnessed domestic violence. o There have been many studies that have been focused on a child being a victim of domestic violence but not many that deal with actually witnessing domestic violence. o Children do not need to physically see the domestic violence occur o Statistics-
 approximately 10 million witness domestic violence in the USA
 more than 34,000 pass through DV refuges yearly in England and Wales
 26% of young adults had witnessed DV at least once between their parents o DV affects a child’s well-being o Psychological, emotional, and behavioral problems. o Been known to show more anxiety and depression o Are more fearful and inhibited o More aggressive and anti-social behaviors o Are at a higher risk of developing PTSD o Age and Gender
 The younger age groups have more issues than those of older children and adolescents. 1 yr through preschool age show symptoms of physiological and psychological problems
 Infants have feeding and sleeping disorders
 Preschool age are withdrawn, have anxiety, and have fearfulness
 School age show change in behaviors that affect their performance in school
 Little agreement on the difference between boys and girls
 Boys externalize behavior
 Girls internalize behavior
 According to Becker and McCloskey girls from violent homes are at risk to externalize throughout adolescents
 McFarlane found that 12-18 years that girls show behavior of aggression and delinquency
 Males experience sadness while females feel anger o 1. Present the prevalence of witnessing severe DV among a representative sample of children and young people aged 5-16 in Great Britian o 2. Examine the socio-demographic, socio-economic and social functioning correlates of witnessing DV o 3. To look at the extent to which witnessing DV is associated with conduct and emotional disorders in these young people
 Methods o Centralized computerized records