Children that Witness Violence Rose Marie Lichtenfels, MSW, MA, LCSW 1

Children of Domestic Violence Children are often the unintended victims of domestic violence. They are the silent victims that are put into a dual threat when living in a home with an abuser: o The threat of witnessing a traumatic event o The treat of physical harm 2

The climate of violence in the home and the aftermath of intimate partner battering inevitably affects the children. Some researchers now consider it a form of child abuse with serious effects on the children's health and development. If the child is developmental disabled, the psychological risk are compounded by the child’s limitations in expressing their feelings about the abuse. 3

Children of Domestic Violence Statistics 90% of children from violent homes witness their fathers beating their mothers 63% of all boys, age 11-20, who commit murder, kill the man who was abusing their mother 75% of battered women say their children are physically or sexually abused 4

Children of Domestic Violence Statistics Research has shown that the more severe the abuse of the mother, the worse the child is abused Approximately 3.3 million children witness domestic violence occurrences their homes each year 5

Impact of Domestic Violence on Children Children who live with domestic violence face increased risks o Risk of exposure to traumatic events o Risk of neglect o Risk of being directly abused o Risk of losing one or both of their parents 6

Problems Associated with DV Exposure Behavioral, social, and emotional problems o Higher levels of aggression, anger, hostility, oppositional behavior, and disobedience; fear, anxiety, withdrawal, and depression; poor peer, sibling and social relationships and low self-esteem Cognitive and attitudinal problems o Lower cognitive functioning, poor school performance, lack of conflict resolution skills, limited problem solving skills, pro-violence attitudes, and belief in rigid gender stereotypes and male privilege. Long-term problems o Higher levels of adult depression and trauma symptoms and increased tolerance for and use of violence in adult relationships 7

Children’s Reactions to Violence Infants End of 1 st Year– often exhibit Failure to Thrive symptoms – underweight, depressed and frequently ill. 2 to 4 years of age – may exhibit frequent shaking, speech problems, crying, poor sleeping habits, yelling, hiding, withdrawn, problems relating to other children. 5 to 12 Years – Depression, withdrawal, running away, angry, lonely, sad, sexually activity, early interest in drugs or alcohol, bedwetting, insecurity and low self-esteem Teen Years – school or social problems, sexual activity, truancy, poor school performance, dating violence, alcohol/drug problems, depression, over achiever 8

Characteristics of Children in Domestic Violent Homes Low Self-esteem Take on responsible adult roles in keeping the family together by caring for siblings or injured mother. Confused about loyalty to parents. Get parents attention through negative acting out behavior which later develops into more serious behavior problems, such as drugs, juvenile crime, teen pregnancy or runaway. Mixture of hope/depression that there is no way out. Increased social isolation 9

Some of these children also learn that the way to handle conflict is by being aggressive and physically abusive Display signs of violence through hurting or killing animals, battering younger siblings and sometimes parents. Use of violence as problem solving techniques Heightened suicide attempts While some become aggressive others become very passive and overly eager to please any adult by being good at all times. They think that if they are extra good the violence will not happen again. 10

Children in violent homes believe that the violence is their fault They internalize the idea that they cause other’s to act the way they do They have feelings of guilt, helplessness, and a sense of failure. They do not express their needs for fear of causing a conflict. Children who grow up in a violent home are often behind developmentally. They do not receive the parental nurturing that is necessary to develop trust. 11

They have a general feeling of anxiety which contributes to a difficulty with paying attention in school. It also interferes with them forming positive relationships with peers and other adults. They often grow up with poor self esteem. They are fearful and lonely. Achievement is not encouraged or promoted by abusive parents. These children may often lose respect for their parents and may start being abusive to them as they grow older. They usually have ambivalent feelings towards their parents – hating and loving them at the same time. Some children run away from home to escape the violence they see. 12

Children as Victims of Abuse Rose Marie Lichtenfels. MSW, MA, LCSW 13

What is Child Abuse? Child Abuse is defined as any act or conduct that endangers or impairs a child’s physical or emotional health or development. It includes any damage done to a child that can not be reasonable explained and is often represented by an injury or series of injuries appearing to be intentional or deliberate in nature. 14

6 Types of Child Abuse Physical Abuse – an act that results in physical injury to a child such as punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning, breaking bones, hair pulling and shaking a baby Emotional Abuse or Psychological Maltreatment – when an adult says things that make a child feel like a bad person Neglect – when an adult hurts a child by not providing food, care, safety and shelter for the child. 15

Sexual Abuse – is when an adult touches the private parts of a child’s body. Medical Neglect – not providing medical care and treatment for a child that is injured, hurt or sick Other – this category exists because there may be instances of abuse that my not fit into the conventional definitions of the main categories. 16

Children as Victims Statistics Types of Abuse for 2009 Neglect78.3% Physical Abuse17.8% Sexual Abuse9.5% Psychological Maltreatment7.6% Other9.6% 17

The victimization rate per 1000 children in 2009 was 9.3 Approximately 1,770 children died of abuse or neglect in The gender of maltreatment victims was almost split evenly in 2009, 48% male and 52% female. 33% of child abuse victims were under the age of 4. 18

Children as Victims in Arizona There were 4,025 substantiated cases of child abuse There were 28 child deaths due to child maltreatment 60% of all child abuse victims suffer from neglect o 1/3 suffer from physical abuse o 6% suffer from sexual abuse 19

Fatalities by Maltreatment Multiple35% Neglect34.10% Physical25.60% Psychological2.00% Medical1.00% Sexual0.10% 20

Fatality Victims by Age Younger than 1 year46.2% 1 to 3 years34.6% 4 to 7 years9.5% 8 to 11 years4.2% 12 to 15 years4.0% 16 and 17 years1.4% 21

Fatalities by Perpetrator Mother alone27.1%Other4.3% Mother and Father 18.1%Relative3.9% Farther alone16.3%Partner of Parent 3.0% Mother & Other 7.5%Day Care Group Home 2.1% Father & Other0.9%Foster Parent.04% 22

Murder and non-negligent manslaughter are the causes of death for approximately 17 percent of children under the age of 19. More than 70% of reported sex offenses involve juvenile victims. Only 11 percent of children that are victims of violent crimes are harmed by strangers. 23

Affects of Abuse on Children When children are victimized their normal physiological and psychological adjustment to life is disrupted. *1 Child victims suffer physical and emotional trauma from their victimization. When the abuse is reported they are forced to enter the stressful world of the adult criminal justice system. Some victims start to think they are bad and deserve the abuse they receive. 24

They may develop eating disorders. They also have sleep disturbances, including nightmare. They may develop lags in their motor skills. Many child victims demonstrate some form of self-destructive behavior. Which can include drugs, alcohol, cutting, sexual encounters and acting out in severe anger at others around them. 25

Victims of Child Sexual Abuse These children may start to soil themselves. They do not like to be left alone and will become clingy if you attempt to leave. They have nightmares and day terrors. They may act out sexually with others. They may appear older than their stated age. 26

Tips For Responding to Child Victims If a child even hints in a vague way that sexual abuse has occurred, encourage him or her to talk freely. Don’t make judgmental comments to the child. Show that you understand and take seriously what the child is saying to you. Assure the child that they did the right thing in telling. 27

Tell the child that he or she is not to blame for the abuse. Realize that children tend to regress emotionally during times of stress. Use language appropriate to the victims age. Assure them that they have done nothing wrong and they are not in trouble. Be consistent with the terms you use and repeat important information often. 28

Ask open-ended questions to make sure the victim understand you. Use care in discussing sexual matters with preadolescent and adolescent children. Maintain a nonjudgmental attitude and empathize with the victim. Show compassion to victims. Remember the limit attention span of children. Limit the number of times a child is interviewed about what happened. 29