The Impact of Domestic Violence on the Development of Children 1

Presenters Elizabeth Hackett, Ph.D., Coordinator of the Elizabeth Hackett, Ph.D., Coordinator of the Great Start Collaborative at Genesee ISD June Hall, MSW, Supervisor, Child and Family Services, Genesee Health System June Hall, MSW, Supervisor, Child and Family Services, Genesee Health System Ann Kita, MA, Service Coordinator and Crisis Counselor, YWCA of Greater Flint Ann Kita, MA, Service Coordinator and Crisis Counselor, YWCA of Greater Flint

The Great Start System Perspective Child Development in the context of the family and community

What We Know 1 in 4 (25%) U.S. women and (CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, February 2008; Silverman et al, 2001) 1 in 5 (20%) U.S. teen girls report ever experiencing physical and/or sexual partner violence 4

Domestic violence cuts across all races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientation, age groups, and socioeconomic levels Every culture has elements that condone domestic violence… and elements that resist it 5

Impact of Domestic Violence on Perinatal Health Outcomes 6

Women Who Experience Abuse Around the Time of Pregnancy Are More Likely to: Smoke tobacco Drink during pregnancy Use drugs Experience depression, higher stress, and lower self-esteem Attempt suicide Receive less emotional support from partners (Amaro, 1990; Bailey & Daugherty, 2007; Berenson et al, 1994; Campbell et al, 1992; Curry, 1998; Martin et al, 2006; Martin et al, 2003; Martin et al, 1998; McFarlane et al, 1996; Perham-Hester & Gessner, 1997) 7

Among teen mothers on public assistance who experienced recent domestic violence: 66% experienced birth control sabotage by a dating partner 34% reported work or school- related sabotage by a dating partner Teen Birth Control Sabotage (Raphael, 2005) 8

Domestic Violence is Predictive of Child Abuse Domestic violence during the first 6 months of a child’s life was predictive of child abuse up to the child’s fifth birthday among home-visited families Domestic violence preceded child abuse in 78% of the cases where domestic violence and child abuse were co-occurring in families (McGuigan et al, 2001) 9

Women Who Talked to Their Health Care Provider About the Abuse Were 4 times more likely to use an intervention 2.6 times more likely to exit the abusive relationship (McClosky et al. 2006) 10

DVD and Discussion 15-minute DVD For parents and caregivers Describes impact of DV on children Available at no cost from Futures Without Violence (In English and Spanish) 11

ywca of greater flint domestic violence & sexual assault services eliminating racism empowering women YWCA

Statistics 90% of victims of Domestic Violence are women 10% of victims of domestic violence are men Every 9 seconds in the U.S. a woman is assaulted or beaten 1 out of 3 women will be victims of Domestic Violence Domestic Violence is the leading cause of injury to women- more than car accidents, muggings and rapes- COMBINED !

Statistics continued Domestic Violence victims lose nearly 8 million days of paid work PER year in the U.S. alone = lose of 32,000 full time jobs The cost of intimate partner violence in the U.S. exceeds $5.8 billion per year; $4.1 billion are for direct medical and health care services.

crisis line and emergency response  Operates 24 hours 365 days per year  Trained staff to answer questions, provide information & referrals, assist survivors & begin the intake process for SafeHouse.

crisis line and emergency response  ERT: Emergency Response Team  Trained staff available to meet with survivors at the three local hospital and police stations  Trained staff provided emotional support during medical exams, explain evidence collection and criminal justice processes & explain YWCA – DVSA services.  FREE OF CHARGE AND CONFINDENTIAL!

services for survivors  Legal Advocacy  Information about the criminal justice system  Assistance in applying for Crime Victims Compensation  Assistance with Personal Protection Orders  Divorce Clinic  Court Support  SafeHouse Emergency Shelter  Crisis Counseling & Support Groups  Domestic Violence Support Groups  Sexual Assault Support Group  Assisting with safety planning, community resources, education regarding the dynamics of domestic violence & sexual assault  Individual counseling available for SECONDARY victims  Individual counseling available for male victims

Domestic Violence Intervention Program  Designed to help batterers learn alternative methods of communication in relationships.  26 week course with separate sessions available for men & women.  Participants of this program pay a fee.

What is Domestic Violence? Instrumental, strategic & purposeful behavior designed to bring about an outcome.

Mental Health Treatment for Children 21

Mothers who experience domestic violence around the time of pregnancy have lower maternal attachment with their infants (Quinlivan & Evans, 2005) 22

Domestic Violence (DV) and Parenting Skills Mothers who experienced DV were more likely to have maternal depressive symptoms and report harsher parenting Mothers’ depression and harsh parenting were directly associated with children’s behavioral problems (Dubowitz et al, 2001) 23

What is Infant Mental Health? This refers to an infant’s ability to experience emotions, develop relationships and learn. They learn about themselves and the world around them through the relationships they have with people in their lives.

When a parent is highly stressed or has issues that interfere with their ability to attend to the emotional needs of their child it can negatively impact the infant or young child’s emotional development.

Warning signs in Children Excessive fearfulness Excessive fussiness Sleeping problems Feeding problems Failure to thrive Aggressive behaviors Defiant behaviors Impulsive and hyperactive Unusually quiet Withdrawal, extreme sadness Excessive clinging Dependent behaviors No response to consequences or overly compliant with requests, Long and frequent tantrums Interference with normal developmental tasks.

Infant Mental Health Treatment Treatment is focused on the relationship between the parent and child. Encourages increased sensitivity to the cues of the infant/young child Helps parent resolve issues that interfere with meeting their child’s emotional needs.

Safety Card on Domestic Violence and Safety Planning How to access more materials and training 28

Questions? Thank You! 29