Family Violence refers to violence between any family members such as: intimate partner violence (also known as domestic violence) abuse of a parent by a child elder abuse sibling abuse child maltreatment

Slide # 2 Domestic and Dating Violence: Domestic and dating violence are NOT just physical or sexual assault! Patterns of coercive and controlling behaviors perpetrated by an adult or teen against an intimate partner.

Slide # 3 One in four women report experiencing violence in an intimate relationship at some point in their life (Centers for Disease Control, 2008) 15.5 million children live in households where domestic violence has occurred within the past year (McDonald et al, 2006) A Few Statistics… 62% of year olds say they know friends who have been verbally abused by a boyfriend or girlfriend (Liz Claiborne, Inc, 2008) One in five year olds say they know friends and peers who have been struck in anger by a boyfriend or girlfriend (Liz Claiborne, Inc, 2008)

Slide # 4 Why do Men use Violence In Intimate Partner Relationships? Some ideas people have: to establish control acting out culturally designated roles mirroring violence in society because they can get away with it it is learned behavior Remember: Not every act of violence between two intimate partners is domestic violence. DV is not an isolated incident, but a pattern of coercive and controlling behavior.

Slide # 5 Power and Control Wheel What are other examples for each section on the Power and Control Wheel?

Slide # 6 Not all children are affected by domestic violence in the same way. Exposure to Domestic Violence:

Slide # 7 hearing threats of physical harm feeling tension building in home prior to assault being hit/threatened while in mother’s arms hearing/seeing assault on their mother being denied care because mother is injured or depressed being forced to watch or participate in violence against their mother seeing aftermath of violent incident having their relationship with their non-violent parent undermined being taken hostage to force mother to return home being enlisted by violent parent to align against mother experiencing the loss of a parent due to murder/suicide Examples of How Children are Exposed

Slide # 8 Factor: The Child’s Age The younger the child, the more harmful the impact may be.

Slide # 9 Factor: The Child’s Developmental Stage Exposure to domestic violence can affect the tasks or milestones of the particular child’s stage of development.

Slide # 10 Factor: Severity, Proximity, Duration and Frequency of Exposure and Frequency of Exposure A child directly exposed to extreme, ongoing and/or frequent violence is more likely to be seriously emotionally harmed.

Slide # 11 Factor: The Child’s Gender Boys and girls may be affected differently

Slide # 12 Factor: The Child’s Role in the Family in the Family Children exposed to domestic violence take on different roles in families that may change over time. Caretaker Confidant Assistant Overachiever/ “perfect” Referee Scapegoat

Slide # 13 Factor: Personal Characteristics of the Child of the Child Some children have a strong sense of self and are able to weather their exposure to violence by drawing on internal strength.

Factor: Presence or absence of loving, supportive adults loving, supportive adults The single most critical factor in how children weather exposure to domestic violence is the presence of at least ONE loving and supportive adult in their life. That ONE adult may be YOU!! That ONE adult may be YOU!!

Slide # 15 Factor: Responsiveness of systems Knowledgeable and skilled professionals who understand and respond effectively to families can play a significant role in how children are impacted.

Slide # 16 The impact of exposure to domestic violence on infants and young children may show up as… low birth weight exaggerated startle response somatic complaints regression in toileting or language sleep disturbances difficulty attaching to caregiver hyper-vigilance separation anxiety eating disorders

Slide # 17 In school-aged children: Some kids “over-control” their emotions or behaviors (these are internalized effects of exposure to DV). These children “hold things in”. Some kids “under-control” their emotions or behaviors (these are externalized effects of exposure to DV). These kids are more likely to explode, act up or act out. They cannot manage their impulses.

Slide # 18 A good way to understand the effects of DV on children is to look at their drawings. An eight-year-old was asked to draw a picture of his father. He wrote in Spanish: “This is how I see my father because he often gets angry and drunk and his eyes turn red.”

Slide # 19 For adolescents, exposure to DV can result in kids being more likely to... Use drugs or alcohol Be harmed when they intervene in an assault Display attitudes supporting the use of violence Use violence in their own intimate relationships

Slide # 20 Another example of a drawing in response to the Question “How do you see your father?” In this case, the artist is a 13-year-old boy.

Slide # 21 What Does Trauma Look Like? Children who may need professional help: Cry easily or constantly Appear emotionless or extremely withdrawn Have repeated or intrusive thoughts about the event Have trouble sleeping and/or nightmares Be “triggered” by a sound, smell, or other reminder of the experience Have difficulty concentrating Worry excessively leading to physical complaints (i.e. stomachaches)