Violence Against Women and Girls: The Impact of Domestic Abuse on Children and Young People, Their Health and Wellbeing - A UK Perspective
Hedy Cleaver
Abstract
Background: Around one in five children are affected by domestic abuse in the UK. This is likely to be a significant underestimation as survivors and victims are often fearful and reluctant to disclose what is happening to them. The consequences for children can be longterm and affect every aspect of their safety and wellbeing.
Objective: The aim is to understand how exposure to domestic abuse can affect children’s health, development and relationships in middle and late childhood.
Participants and settings: This paper is based on a review of a wide range of national and international research.
Methods: A developmental framework is used to explore how domestic abuse can affect the various aspect of children’s growth including their social, emotional and cognitive development.
Conclusions: How children react will depend on their individual characteristics and circumstances. When children have been exposed to an abusive home environment for long periods, they will probably have suffered long-lasting harm to many aspects of their health and development. For others, the abuse may have been of short duration, only starting with the introduction of a new adult into the household. Nonetheless, the impact of witnessing a single very violent assault can result in post-traumatic stress disorder.
