Researchers estimate that three to 17.8 million children are compelled to witness a form of domestic violence on an annual basis. The fact that domestic violence subjects a child to physical, behavioral, and emotional torture makes it a form of child abuse. Moreover, these children are prone to child maltreatment, which renders exposure to domestic violence a type of child abuse according to the available statutes (Henry, 2018).
Body chemicals released after exposure to domestic violence among children have created new concerns over the overall health of these individuals after establishing a connection between intimate partner violence and asthma (Bair-Merritt et al., 2012). Simon and Brooks (2017) suggest that more needs to be done in addition to the use of child protection and welfare services because domestic violence continues to prevail in families where these interventions exist. Evans et al. (2008) assert that the children exposed to domestic violence exhibit certain traumatic symptoms through which they can be identified and offered the help they need. Therefore, understanding domestic violence as a form of child abuse is necessary to identify gaps and ways of handling perpetrators and assisting the victims.
- Overview: Domestic violence as a constituent of child abuse:
- Constructions of domestic violence considered as child maltreatment?
- Causes of domestic violence and profile of perpetrators;
- Thesis statement.
- Effect of child protection services on domestic violence: focus on families;
- Purposed goal of child protection/welfare services and attainment;
- Definitions of and regulations on domestic violence according to different state laws;
- Effects of domestic violence on a child’s physical, emotional, and social health;
- Moderators of outcomes linked to domestic violence in ameliorating child abuse;
- Signs of a child subjected to domestic violence;
- Challenges in addressing child exposure to domestic violence;
- Family needs and interventions to address domestic violence and associated effects.
References
Bair-Merritt, M., Johnson, S. B., Okelo, S., & Page, G. (2012). Intimate partner violence exposure, salivary cortisol, and childhood asthma. Child Abuse & Neglect, 36(0), 596–601. Web.
Evans, S., Davies, C., & DiLillo, D. (2008). Exposure to domestic violence: A meta- analysis of child and adolescent outcomes. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 13(2), 131-140. Web.
Henry, C. (2018). Exposure to domestic violence as abuse and neglect: Constructions of child maltreatment in daily practice. Child Abuse & Neglect, 86, 79-88. Web.
Simon, J. D., & Brooks, D. (2017). Identifying families with complex needs after an initial child abuse investigation: A comparison of demographics and needs related to domestic violence, mental health, and substance use. Child Abuse & Neglect, 67, 294– 304. Web.