Witnessing Domestic Violence

The idea that violence is learned behavior is sustained.
Children who are witnesses of domestic violence can learn from a very young age, that violence is the only way to solve conflicts.
For most, the learning process ceases with the first time they are hit, an opportunity to learn that those who love you are the ones who hurt you.
This message can be greatly strengthened if they notice that their parents regularly engage in physical violence to resolve their disagreements.
Children learn meaningful messages about behavior and sex roles from parents who are role models. When exposed to family violence, they can integrate this behavior into their relationships as children and beyond as adults, resulting in a patern of intergenerational violence.
Children witnessing domestic
violence and living in violent enviroment , may experience some trauma on long term as abused children.
Domestic violence can put its prints on harmonious development of individual character and a child which assist to such events cand develop similar or deviant behaviour as an adult, even not all children are affected in the same way.
Domestic violence in families it is dangerous for children. They are living in an atmosphere with screaming, yelling and agression.
They are growimg with fear for their parent and for their own safety.
Children are feeling bad because they can not do anyting to stop domestic violence. If they are trying to end the quarrels between parents, they can be injured .
Moreover, they are emotionally and psychollogically affected, just because they assissist to violence in the family.
Children who are growing up in a violent environment do not receive the care they are needing. they can be direct victims in domestic violence case, especially if they are witnessing forms of violence at home or in the family.
A parent which is abused, is living with too much pain to be able to take care properly of his or her child .
The influences of a violent environment on children can be countless.
They may have trouble sleeping and resting, poor results at school and in relationships with their friends, feel sad and scared.
They could grow up with a bad opinion about themselves.
These influences seem to diminish over time, if domestic violence is no longer manifested in
the family or the members are no more exposed to violent acts. However, the effects and influence of domestic violence can continue in the adulthood of an individual.
As an adult, victims of domestic violence suffer from depression, anxiety, and post traumatic symptoms. For example, according to a recent study, boys who have been victims of domestic violence are likely to adopt the same behavior and abuse their own children.
When parents do not provide a positive relationship model, children will not learn peaceful methods of solving problems.
They will learn anti-social responses: to fight or to sentiment their feelings in inappropriate ways.
Children who grow up in a family environment affected by domestic violence may have or develop:
- stomach, headache, ulcer, diarrhea, enuresis;
- sleep disorders: sleeplessness, cosmology, somnambulism;
- delays in development or regression: poor school performance, low ability to adapt to new situations, poor self-esteem, difficulty in relationship;
- feelings of fear, anger, depression, shame, disbelief, guilt;
- helplessness;
- behavioral problems: home run, language and aggressive behavior;
- learns that violence is a legitimate way to resolve conflicts or to control a situation.
The smaller the baby, the higher the risks to healthy development. School and pre-school children who have a limited understanding of what is happening between parents can feel responsible especially because violent arguments usually arise in child-related issues. Adolescents will be defending one of the parties during violent episodes of parents. There are also intense feelings of ambivalence. In spite of sympathy with the mother - the victim, the child or adolescent who sees that she does nothing to stop the violence, she may lose respect for her. Adolescents can develop a total lack of trust, generalized to all men and expressed in the future, in a negative attitude toward marriage. Even if they are not the direct victims of family abuse, children are exposed to neglect, especially emotional neglect. A mother who lives in a constant state of fear, anger, anxiety and / or depression can hardly cover the child's physical and socio-emotional needs.
How can a child develop trust in others in themselves when his personal security is threatened at all times by conflicts and violence among parents?
It can be argued that the observation of violence between parents has negative effects on the child's development, but probably the most important ones are about the future family life.
Men who witnessed domestic violence in a pro-family family in childhood are three times more likely to abuse their wives.
Domestic violence tends to affect all children, with visible consequences now or in the future.
The severity of the effects depends on the sex, age of the child, the intensity and frequency of acts of violence, and the parents' response to family dysfunction.