CHO!CE -IT'S YOUR CHOICE

    CHILD ABUSE

Picture
CHILDREN ARE AFFECTED BY DOMESTIC ABUSE TOO,
YOU CAN PUT A STOP TO IT BY WALKING AWAY
.
Domestic abuse ruins childhood.
MYTH: WHAT CHILDREN DON'T SEE, THEY DON'T KNOW.
TRUTH: Children are fully aware of what goes on within their home even if they do not see it.

CHILDREN GET THE PICTURE.


Children are dependent on adults therefore if their parent is being abused they will become scared and insecure. 

·        
If a child witness’s domestic abuse within their home may experience sleepless nights and when they do sleep they may have nightmares which can cause a lot of trauma for them.

·         Lack of attachment with parents as a child can lead to the child feeling unloved and not listened to because of the parents always arguing which would make them feel down and feel like they have nobody to talk or turn to (Herman, 2000).

·         Children can be affected through domestic abuse as they are more likely to become victims when they grow up or abusers therefore it causes them to change their mental thinking about how they view hitting others (
www.rcpsych.ac.uk., 2009).

·          If children become victims of domestic abuse in adult life, then could develop learned helplessness because they feel whatever happens is out of their control. They may also start to feel stupid therefore it can affect self esteem and confidence issues.  

·         Adversely, children may also blame themselves for having to witness parents arguing and hitting (Hester, 2007).

·         Children who witness abuse may develop behavioural problems and may become aggressive and engage in anti social behaviour when they grow up (Meltzer, Doos, Vostanis, Ford & Goodman, 2009).

·         Mental health of children may be affected by negative experiences of domestic abuse. Children’s thinking may be a product of misrepresentation thoughts therefore this could lead into developing mental impairments (Von Steen, 1997).

·         It may also cause a lot of upset in children when recalling experiences of domestic violence therefore it can affect their self esteem.

·         Children that witness domestic abuse between parents in their home may try to come in between and stop the hitting. This could lead to them getting injured therefore physical effects include getting hit when children are in the way (
www.nspcc.org.uk, 2011).

·        

Picture
Parents could also be using their children as weapons when arguing therefore this is damaging for the child as they would feel upset as well as helpless because they cannot do anything to stop the violence (Baird, 2011).

·         Witnessing domestic abuse as a child can also lead to developing stress related disorders such as depression, panic attacks and anxiety disorders which would affect the child’s wellbeing.

·         Also when children grow up they may become socially withdrawn from family and friends and lack pleasure in socialising (Moylan, Herrenkohl, Sousa, Tajima, Herrenkohl & Russo, 2010). The child would also feel sad most of the time, not take pleasure in activities and lose their confidence. So it can be seen that witnessing domestic abuse as a child has a significant effect on mental health in later life (
www.nspcc.org.uk, 2011).


·        Physical health of children may be affected because they may not be eating well as they are traumatised by their experiences therefore this can develop into an eating disorder and it then becomes a battle to maintain a healthy body for the individual. On the reverse, children may over eat which could lead to becoming obese.

·         Furthermore, children who are witnessing domestic abuse are more at risk of being abused as well by the person who is being aggressive to the parent therefore this can have psychological effects (Okour & Hijazi, 2009).

·          The child may constantly feel scared that someone is going to hurt them and find it hard to trust or build relationships with others which would affect their social relations in the future.

·         Younger children may find it more difficult to cope with witnessing domestic abuse therefore counselling may be needed in order to support them. Mental health teams may have to get involved so that the child can talk about their feelings and therefore trying to prevent those developing depressions or anxiety disorders (Berman, 2000).

·         Children are more at risk of using drugs or drinking alcohol when older if they have experienced domestic violence within their home as a child. This may then lead to dependency which could lead to other health problems therefore domestic violence can cause negative consequences for children (Devaney, 2009).

·         In severe cases of domestic violence the child can grow up to feel suicidal or self harm because they feel unworthy and think they are to blame for their experiences.

·         Domestic abuse can cause a lot of problems in the child’s life and it can affect all aspects of the child’s life such as their emotional wellbeing, physical health and mental health.

·         Children may feel unable to open up about their feelings when witnessing domestic abuse within the home therefore they may close themselves off form others (Von Steen, 1997).

·         There are campaigns that support children when they are experiencing problems at home such as domestic abuse. The NSPCC protects children and has a children’s helpline as well which offers advice and helps children to speak out about their experiences or problems (
www.nspcc.org.uk, 2011.


PROTECT CHILDREN. DO NOT LET THEM EXPERIENCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THEIR HOME.