Is there a link between domestic violence and child abuse?
Going back several decades, research shows that in 30% to 60% of households where domestic violence occurs, child physical abuse was also present. Not unlike child abuse, domestic violence is often not a single event, but a pattern of behavior that typically increases in severity over time. Often, the result of that increase in brutality and occurrence between adults can lead to children in the home also becoming victims.
Domestic violence and child abuse can affect anyone: all genders, races, ethnicities, religions, socioeconomic status, and any other population. One difference that we see, however, is that parental stress can often be a factor in child abuse, but does not seem to occur as often in cases of domestic violence. Parents who are stressed beyond their limits and who do not have strong coping skills may resort to physical abuse. Here are a few tips on building resiliency in parents: https://www.allianceforchildren.org/blog/2021/03/building-blocks-effect…
Additionally, some parents may have been physically abused themselves as children, with that abuse becoming a learned behavior. A parent may think “this happened to me, and I turned out fine,” without realizing the impact that abuse may have had on their developing brain and the potential long-term consequences that can result for children who experience physical abuse. Research has shown that physical and verbal abuse during childhood can have long-lasting, damaging effects, including low self-esteem; participating in high-risk behaviors like drug and alcohol abuse; physical ailments including diabetes, cancer, and stroke; damage to the developing brain; diminished decision-making functionality; mental illness; posttraumatic stress; juvenile delinquency and adult criminality; early death, or other serious consequences.
Children who are abused can suffer traumatic damage to their emotions, mental health, and often their physical body. At Alliance For Children, we provide forensic interviews, a non-leading, fact-finding conversation with a child who may have experienced abuse, as well as our free healing services to child abuse victims, and to children who have witnessed a violent crime. In our 2020-2021 Fiscal Year (October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021), Alliance For Children served 2,497 child impacted by child abuse. Of those, 505 were children who have been affected by a situation involving physical abuse and 198 were witness to violent crimes.
One of the best things you can do to help protect children in your community is to educate yourself and others on how to prevent abuse from ever taking place.
Here are ten tips on how to prevent child abuse, provided by The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families:
Ten Things You Can Do to Prevent Child Abuse
1. Volunteer your time. Get involved with other parents in your community. Help vulnerable children and their families. Start a playgroup.
2. Discipline your children thoughtfully. Never discipline your child when you are upset. Give yourself time to calm down. Remember that discipline is a way to teach your child. Use privileges to encourage good behavior and time-outs to help your child regain control.
3. Examine your behavior. Abuse is not just physical. Both words and actions can inflict deep, lasting wounds. Be a nurturing parent. Use your actions to show children and other adults that conflicts can be settled without hitting or yelling.
4. Educate yourself and others. Simple support for children and parents can be the best way to prevent child abuse. After-school activities, parent education classes, mentoring programs, and respite care are some of the many ways to keep children safe from harm. Be a voice in support of these efforts in your community.
5. Teach children their rights. When children are taught they are special and have the right to be safe, they are less likely to think abuse is their fault, and more likely to report an offender.
6. Support prevention programs. Too often, intervention occurs only after abuse is reported. Greater investments are needed in programs that have been proven to stop the abuse before it occurs - such as family counseling and home visits by nurses who provide assistance for newborns and their parents.
7. Know what child abuse is. Physical and sexual abuse clearly constitute maltreatment, but so does neglect, or the failure of parents or other caregivers to provide a child with needed food, clothing, and care. Children can also be emotionally abused when they are rejected, berated, or continuously isolated.
8. Know the signs. Unexplained injuries aren't the only signs of abuse. Depression, fear of a certain adult, difficulty trusting others or making friends, sudden changes in eating or sleeping patterns, inappropriate sexual behavior, poor hygiene, secrecy, and hostility are often signs of family problems and may indicate a child is being neglected or physically, sexually, or emotionally abused.
9. Report abuse. If you witness a child being harmed or see evidence of abuse, make a report to your state's child protective services department or local police. When talking to a child about abuse, listen carefully, assure the child that he or she did the right thing by telling an adult, and affirm that he or she is not responsible for what happened.
10. Invest in kids. Encourage leaders in the community to be supportive of children and families. Ask employers to provide family-friendly work environments. Ask your local and national lawmakers to support legislation to better protect our children and to improve their lives.
As an adult resident of Texas, you are a mandated reporter. If you suspect abuse has occurred – even if you don’t have proof – you are required by law to report that suspicion to the authorities. Please call your local law enforcement agency or dial 1-800-252-5400 for the Texas Child Abuse Hotline.
You can work together with families in your community to help prevent domestic violence and child abuse. Take some time today to learn about the resources in your area for victims and consider volunteering your time to help the child victims at Alliance For Children. Click here to learn more.
Resources and references:
https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/safety/prevent-child-abuse
https://vawnet.org/sites/default/files/assets/files/2016-10/PCAA_DVandChild.pdf
https://violence.chop.edu/domestic-violence-and-child-abuse#.XvIrg2hKgdU
https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/long_term_consequences.pdf