Transcript Intimate Partner Violence Harms Children In Various Ways

Intimate Partner Violence Harms
Children In Various Ways
 Perpetrators of violence may physically
harm their intimate partner and their
children
 They may sexually abuse their children or
the children of their intimate partner
 The physical abuse prevents the victim of
violence from caring for the children
© 2004-2005 CDHS College
Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
Harms Continued…
 Children may be coerced by the
perpetrator to assist in the violence
against the victim
 Children witness violence
 Perpetrators of violence may
undermine interventions to protect
children
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Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
How Does Witnessing IPV Affect
Children?
 Children’s Problems Associated with
Witnessing Violence have been
categorized as:
 Behavioral and Emotional
 Cognitive Functioning and Attitude
 Longer Term
© 2004-2005 CDHS College
Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
 Children who witness parental IPV may
exhibit
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aggression
hostility
anxiety
social withdrawal
cognitive-functioning problems
depression
lower-verbal and quantitative skills
attitudes supporting violence
 (Edleson 1999)
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Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
Impact of Exposure to Domestic
Violence
 Increase in Externalizing Behaviors
 Aggressiveness
 Behavior problems in school
 Temper Tantrums
 Fights
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Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
 Increase in Internalizing Behaviors
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Depression
Suicidal Behavior
Anxiety
Fear
Phobias
Insomnia
Bed-wetting
Low Self-Esteem
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Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
 Cognitive and Academic Functioning
Problems
 Impaired ability to concentrate
 Difficulty with school work
 Lower scores in verbal, motor and
cognitive measures
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Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
Witnessing IPV and Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD)
 Study by Kilpatrick, Litt and Williams
(1997) showed that 85% of children
ages 6-12 who witnessed IPV had
moderate to severe PTSD symptoms
 Compared to 0% of the control group
who had witnessed no violence
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Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
PTSD Symptoms May Be
 Emotional Numbing
 Increased Arousal
 Avoidance of Reminders of the Violent
Event
 Obsessive or Repeated Focus on the
Event
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Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
Long Term Implications
 Retrospective studies have shown
that negative effects of IPV persist
into adulthood with increased rates of
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Depression
Poor Self-Esteem
Violent Practices in the Home
Criminal Behavior
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Fantuzzo and Mohr 1999
© 2004-2005 CDHS College
Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
Impacts of Violence on Child
Development
 Infancy
 Insecure attachment
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Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
 Toddlers
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Hesitancy to explore
Separation Anxiety
Aggression
Withdrawal
Reduced ability to cope with frustrations
Communication problems
© 2004-2005 CDHS College
Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
 Preschoolers
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Disrupted Interpersonal Relationships
Cognitive Difficulties
Lack in peer support
Caretaking by child
© 2004-2005 CDHS College
Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
 School-age and Adolescents
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Aggression, Delinquency
Self-Destructive Behaviors
Bias for interpreting hostile intent
Limited competent social responses
Depression, Anxiety, Fear
Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms
 Hypervigilance, Hyperarousal
© 2004-2005 CDHS College
Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research
 Disruptions at one stage my
contribute to the next stage further
disrupting the mastery of the
following developmental stages
© 2004-2005 CDHS College
Relations Group Buffalo State
College/SUNY at Buffalo Research