In most cases of domestic violence children will be in the same room
or the next room when the violence occurs.
Common ‘adjustment
difficulties’ among children who witness domestic violence include:
increased levels of anxiety, psychosomatic illnesses, including:
headaches, abdominal complaints, asthma, peptic ulcers, rheumatoid
arthritis, stuttering, enuresis; sadness, withdrawal and fear; lower
rating in social competence, particularly for boys; a reduction in
understanding social situations including thoughts and feelings of
people involved (Jaffe et al, 1990).
It is important to
remember that as with women who live with domestic violence, every
child’s experience will be different and some children show no
obvious negative effects at all.
Go to our
children's pages for more
information.