When Children Witness Domestic Violence

"Domestic violence shatters the safety and refuge of home, making it a fearful place for any child who witnesses it. Children who see and hear violence experience it with their entire being-their senses, their emotions, their thoughts, their bodies. Seeing violence up close between the people you love and depend on has a long-lasting impact on emotional and brain development and on attachment and future relationships."

"Domestic violence or intimate partner violence (IPV) is an all too prevalent social problem in the United States. Researchers report that up to 25% of children are exposed to IPV during childhood, and that many experience it for the first time as infants or toddlers (Jones Harden, Martoccio & Berlin, et al, 2021). Children under the age of six are at higher risk of exposure than older children (Carpenter & Stacks, 2009)."

"Our capacity to regulate emotions and to manage stress develops out of repeatedly finding comfort and safety in the relationship with a parent or caregiver. In situations of domestic violence, the adults are either delivering the violence or receiving it, leaving children essent"

"Solomon, a formerly incarcerated man I interviewed for my book, Before Their Crimes: What We're Misunderstanding about Childhood Trauma, Youth Crime, and the Path to Healing, told me that his earliest memories were of his parents fighting. "It was very frightening. I was three or four. They're yelling, throwing things...One time when I was a little older, it got so bad that I called the police...and my father got arrested. The physical abuse of my mother stopped, but the psychological and verbal abuse never did.""

Domestic violence shatters the safety and refuge of home, making it a fearful place for children who witness it. Children experience violence with their senses, emotions, thoughts, and bodies, and seeing violence up close between people they depend on can have long-lasting effects on emotional and brain development, attachment, and future relationships. Domestic violence or intimate partner violence is widespread in the United States, with researchers reporting that up to 25% of children are exposed during childhood, often beginning in infancy or toddlerhood. Children under six face higher exposure risk than older children. Domestic violence can affect brain development and psychosocial development. Support from other important adults can aid recovery.

Read at Psychology Today