Impact on Children and Youth

Children and youth who are exposed to domestic violence experience emotional, mental, and social damage that can affect their developmental growth. Some children lose the ability to feel empathy for others. Others feel socially isolated, unable to make friends as easily due to social discomfort or confusion over what is acceptable. In order to respond to the overwhelming issues associated with domestic violence, child welfare professionals need to understand these issues and know how to identify them as well as assess and provide treatment to children and youth affected by domestic violence. This section provides information and resources on the impact that domestic violence has on children and youth as well as resources on how to respond it.

Alarming Effects of Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence
Edwards (2019)
Psychology Today
Discusses the psychological impacts of domestic violence, including fear of abandonment, worry or sadness, guilt, the inability to experience empathy, lying, emotional distancing, shame, and fear of the future.  

Childhood Exposure to Violence
HealthyChildren.org (2016)
Examines problems associated with childhood exposure to violence and how parents and families can find help.

Children and Domestic Violence: How Does Domestic Violence Affect Children? (PDF - 2,660 KB)
Futures Without Violence & The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2015)
Discusses the factors that influence children’s reactions to domestic violence. This resource identifies ways in which to support health and emotional and mental development among children who have been exposed to violence.  

Children and Domestic Violence: Managing Challenging Behavior of Children Living With Domestic Violence (PDF - 364 KB)
Futures Without Violence & The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2015)
Examines how exposure to domestic violence affects children’s behavior, including levels of aggression and sleeping patterns.

Edleson Revisited: Reviewing Children’s Witnessing of Domestic Violence 15 Years Later
Kimball (2015)
Journal of Family Violence, 31(5)
Highlights the growing understanding of children’s exposure to domestic violence by examining the impact and the cumulative effects of exposure to violence, potential protective factors, and the father-child relationship.

Effects of Domestic Violence
Futures Without Violence (2016)
Reviews the effects exposure to domestic violence can have on children. The website also discusses how children can be exposed, the effects of exposure based on age, symptoms of exposure, and more.

Effects of Domestic Violence on Children 
U.S. Department of Health and  Human Services, Office on Women's Health
Presents information about the impact of domestic violence on children, including those who witness domestic violence. The information cover the short- and long-term effects, how children can recover, how to help children who have witnessed domestic violence, abusive relationships, and safety.

Identify Abuse: Recognizing Abuse Is the First Step 
National Domestic Violence Hotline 
Provides information on how to understand and recognize relationship abuse. The webpage discusses the warning signs of abuse, why people abuse, power and control, and abuse in a cultural context.

Intimate Partner Violence: Effects
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Provides information on the effects of children's exposure to intimate partner violence, including short-term and long-term effects and trauma reactions by age group.

Online Training & Resource Center
National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health
Offers resources, training, and technical assistance relating to domestic violence, trauma, and mental health. The website offers webinars; resources on trauma-informed domestic violence advocacy; resources on supporting children, parents, and caregivers impacted by domestic violence; and more.

Responding to the Long-Term Needs of Adult Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: Exploring the Connection to Suicide Risk (PDF - 201 KB)
Kimball & Keene (2016)
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
Examines the effect of domestic violence across the lifespan, with particular attention paid to mental health and suicidality.

Three Core Concepts in Early Development
Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University
Provides a three-part video series on how early childhood exposure to toxic stress affects brain structure and socio-cultural development.

Updated Comprehensive Review of Interventions for Children Exposed to Domestic Violence (PDF - 1,170 KB)
Chamberlain (2018)
Futures Without Violence
Offers a web-based repository of interventions and resources on responding to children's exposure to domestic violence. The report overviews 45 interventions that serve children and families, starting on page 16 of the document.

Violence Prevention Research
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Center for Injury Research & Prevention
Discusses the negative effects that witnessing domestic violence can have on children, including physical and mental health consequences as well as other long-term effects.

What Is the Impact of Childhood Domestic Violence?
Childhood Domestic Violence Association
Describes the impacts of childhood exposure to domestic violence and how experiencing violence can negatively affect a developing brain. The resource addresses impact to physical health, mental health, behavior, and relationships later in life.

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