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Project for history 259 in progress Domestic violence Domestic violence effects on children Domestic violence creates an environment that negatively affects children whom are more likely to develop social, emotional, psychological and behavioral problems thus affecting development into adulthood. Emotional effects include grief, shame, guilt and self blame; conflicting feeling towards parent, fear of abandonment and emotions, anger, depression, helplessness, powerlessness and embarrassment. Behavioral effects include: acting out, withdrawing, aggressive or passive, refuse to go to school, acting as a parent substitute, lying or avoid confrontation, rigid defenses, excess attention seeking, bedwetting, nightmares, out of control behavior, reduced intellectual competency, manipulation dependency mood swings, social isolation, rocky relationships, trust issues, poor anger management and problem solving skills, excessive social involvement, passivity with peers or bullying and engaged in exploitative relationships as perpetrators or victims. Physical effects include: somatic complaints, headaches, stomachaches, nervous, anxious, short attention span, tired and lethargic, frequently ill, poor personal hygiene, regression in development, high-risk play and self abuse. Recommendation for caring for abused children Trust and respect: Promote independence and Allow privacy Provide emotional security: be gentle and dependable Provide physical security: food, shelter and clothing Provide discipline: consistency instruction not punishment Time: participate in their lives Encourage and support: follow their interests and let them make mistakes Give affection: verbal and physical

Indicators a child is or has been in abusive environment Infants: Basic need for attachment is disrupted, Routines around feeding/sleeping are disturbed, Injuries while "caught in the crossfire,” Irritability or inconsolable crying, Frequent illness, Difficulty sleeping, Diarrhea, Developmental delays and Lack of responsiveness. Preschool: Somatic or psychosomatic complaints, Regression, Irritability, Fearful of being alone, Extreme separation anxiety, Developmental delays and Sympathetic toward mother. Elementary Age:  Vacillate between being eager to please and being hostile, Verbal about home life, Developmental delays, Externalized behavior problems, inadequate social skill development and Gender role modeling creates conflict/confusion. Preadolescence:  Behavior problems become more serious, Increased internalized behavior difficulties, depression, isolation, withdrawal.  Emotional difficulties: shame, fear, confusion, rage, Poor social skills, Developmental delays, Protection of mother, sees her as "weak" and Guarded/secretive about family. Adolescence: Internalized and externalized behavior problems can become extreme and dangerous: drug/alcohol, truancy, gangs, sexual acting out, pregnancy, runaway, suicidal Dating relationships may reflect violence learned or witnessed in the home.

Domestic Violence & Children •	Slightly more than half of female victims of intimate violence live in households with children under age 12. Lawrence A. Greenfield et al.,U.S. Dep't of Just., NCJ 167237, Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Data on Crimes by Current or Former Spouse, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends (1998) available at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/vi.pdf •	A recent study of low-income pre-school children in Michigan found that nearly half (46.7 percent) of the children in the study had been exposed to at least one incident of mild or severe violence in the family. Children who had been exposed to violence suffered symptoms of 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. Sandra Graham-Bermann & Julie Seng, Violence Exposure and Traumatic Stress Symptoms as Additional Predictors of Health Problems in High-Risk Children, 146 J. of Pediatrics 309 (2005). •	Battered women are not the only victims of abuse - it is estimated that anywhere between 3.3 million and 10 million children witness domestic violence annually. Research demonstrates that exposure to violence can have serious negative effects on children's development. Sharmila Lawrence, National Center for Children in Poverty, Domestic Violence and Welfare Policy: Research Findings That Can Inform Policies on Marriage and Child Well-Being 5 (2002). •	One study of 2,245 children and teenagers found that recent exposure to violence in the home was a significant factor in predicting a child's violent behavior. Mark I. Singer, et al., Cuyahoga County Cmty. Health Research Institute, The Mental Health Consequences of Children's Exposure to Violence (1998). •	Children exposed to Intimate Partner Violence were 1.6 times as likely to score in the borderline to clinical level range on externalizing behaviors relative to children of similar age and sex (as measured on three scales of internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, and social competence according to the standardized psychometric instrument of Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist, or CBCL). Mary A. Kernic et al., Behavioral Problems Among Children Whose Mothers are Abused by an Intimate Partner, 27 Child Abuse & Neglect 1231 at 1239 (2003). •	Children exposed to maternal Intimate Partner Violence, without experiencing child maltreatment, were 40% more likely to have a total behavioral problem score within the borderline to clinical range than CBCL normative children. Mary A. Kernic et al., Behavioral Problems Among Children Whose Mothers are Abused by an Intimate Partner, 27 Child Abuse & Neglect 1231 at 1239 (2003). See also Family Violence Prevention Fund, The Facts on Children and Domestic Violence, (2005), available at http://endabuse.org/resources/facts/Children.pdf (Aug 1, 2005).