Chinn & Associates has partnered with The Center for Violence Prevention in Pearl, Mississippi to bring you important information on Dealing with Domestic Abuse.
Children of all ages are negatively impacted by domestic abuse. There are no exceptions to this rule. This is a limited list of consequences some children suffer from abuse in the home.
PHYSICAL
- Physical Abuse
- Chronic Head Aches
- Stomach or Digestive Problems
- Bedwetting
- Increased or Decreased Appetite
- Trouble Sleeping
- Hair Pulling or Nail Biting
- Developmental Delays
BEHAVIORAL, SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL
- Aggressive
- Angry
- Hostile
- Oppositional Behavior
- Fear
- Anxiety
- Withdrawal
- Depression
- Low Self-Esteem
- Nightmares
- Phobias
- Passive or Clingy
- Role Reversal
- Poor Impulse Control
COGNITIVE PROBLEMS
- Lower Cognitive Functioning
- Poor School Performance
- Lack of Conflict Resolution Skills
- Pro-Violence Attitude
- Belief in Rigid Gender Stereotypes
The U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse suggests that domestic violence may be the single major precursor to child abuse and neglect fatalities in this country.
Studies suggest that between 3.3 and 10 million children are exposed to domestic violence annually.
In a national survey of more than 6000 American families, 50 percent of the men who frequently assaulted their wives also frequently abused their children.
Men who as children were exposed to their parents’ domestic violence are twice as likely to abuse their own wives as sons of nonviolent parents.
Children who are exposed to domestic violence are more likely to exhibit behavioral and physical health problems including depression, anxiety, and violence towards peers. They are also more likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs, and commit sexual assault crimes.
Children who have been exposed to domestic violence suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, such as bed-wetting or nightmares, and were at greater risk than their peers of having allergies, asthma, gastrointestinal problems, headaches, and flu.
Each year about 324,000 pregnant women in the U.S. are battered by the men in their lives.
Complications of pregnancy, including low birth weight, anemia, infections, and first and second trimester bleeding are significantly higher for abused women, as are maternal rates of depression, suicide attempts, tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use.