Domestic disturbance : how witnessing domestic violence affects children

Abstract

During my social work placement at the Domestic Violence Unit I became very interested in how witnessing domestic violence affects children. There has already been a considerable amount of research (some of which are: Krugman, R.D., & Kempe, C.R (1996); Lupton, C., & Gillespie, T, (1994); Varma,V, (1999); Dubowitz, H, (1999)), which indicates the negative impact of abuse of children. However I became interested in exploring what the consequences of children witnessing domestic violence are and how these children perceive violence between their parents. I also wanted to gain some insight into how this interferes with their thinking and their behaviour. Through my interviews and my observations during the children's play, their interaction with each other and also their drawings,, I was able to get in touch with their emotions and experiences. My study has indicated that living in a violent environment is not easy, especially for a child. The children made me aware of the number of daily challenges they faced and the coping strategies they needed constantly in order to survive. The picture of these children which emerged from my study is that although they have lived through a number of terrifying experiences, they have developed a number of coping skills, indicating their resilience. One of the alarming results of my research is that once the children are at the shelter, there is no programme that is specifically designed for them, unless they have been abused themselves or referred to a psychologist by their mother on the suggestion of her social worker or the shelter coordinator. Apart from this, I also identified what the various needs of children who have been witnessing domestic violence are. Through this study I intend to increase awareness about the effects of witnessing domestic violence on children so that, hopefully, they will receive the attention and services they so urgently need.