Can witness domestic violence influence children’s mental health?
Jocelyn (Junru) Liu
Meltzer’s research looked at the socio-demographic factors that influence children who witness domestic abuse, as well as the link between domestic violence and early mental problems. A logistic regression analysis was used to determine the strength of the association between witnessing severe domestic violence and childhood disorders using the biographic, sociodemographic, and socioeconomic characteristics of 7865 children and their families, as well as measures of traumatic events such as witnessing domestic violence. According to parent reports, about 4% of children had observed serious domestic abuse. Older age, mixed ethnicity, physical disorder, several children in the home, divorced parents, living in leased housing, poor neighbourhoods, the mother’s mental health, and family dysfunction were all individually related with an increased risk of a kid seeing domestic violence. Witnessing severe domestic violence nearly tripled the risk of children developing conduct disorder, but it was not linked to mental disorders on its own. More study on the effects of experiencing domestic violence is urgently needed to help social workers and policymakers better understand the needs of children who encounter domestic abuse.
LWW psychological counseling knowledge base
Howard. M., Doos. L., Panos. V., Tamsin. F. & Robert. G. 2009. The mental health of children who witness domestic violence. Child & Family Social Work/ Volume 14, Issue 4/ p. 491-501. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00633.x