Running head: FAMILY VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITES 1

Effects of Domestic Violence on Family Dynamics

FAMILY VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITES 2

Effects of Domestic Violence on Family Dynamics

It is mutual behavior that, even though we hear of distressful, and hideous, situations that

happen to others and not specifically ourselves, some people think that its not a

prevalent/significant problem. Domestic violence is a very current, and present, danger to many

families not just in the nation but around the world. The most disheartening fact about family/

domestic violence is that we live in a nation with rules, and this problem persists even though

these rules are in place. Within this literature, we shall discuss how prevalent family/ domestic

violence is in our society, the effects family violence has on persons or specifically families, and

lastly, we will go over what kind of social programs/aide are in place to help prevent this

behavior, or advocate, to help stop this type of family torture. First, we shall discuss how this

problem is current, and present, in our communities.

Family/domestic violence is a problematic occurrence in the nation, and around the

world. 21 to 60 percent of households experience some form of domestic/family violence, and

women ages 18-24 being the dominant group in these unfortunate situations. Women of the

Hispanic culture tend to deal with a lot due to being taught to be extremely tough when dealing

with domestic violence. For example, calling the police is a sign of weakness and something that

would not be tolerated with previous generations. First off for this to occur, it has to start with
FAMILY VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITES 3

somebody and usually it is the wife; these women go through characteristic changes where they

no longer know who they are nor how to think for themselves (Levendosky & Graham-Bermann,

2001, p. 172). Battered women that have been severely abused have shown signs of depression,

disassociation with family members, and friends, all of which are caused by the constant trauma

that has been incurred while in a domestically violent relationship. In these abused womens

minds, the impairment of functioning daily while parenting becomes a struggle, not knowing

how to express emotion towards a child, and fear empowers the mindset of ones ways to protect

oneself leaving her defenseless.

Domestic violence is similar to a disease. It spreads throughout the family, not just

staying with the parent, but also affecting the child/children whom are also victims of the

violence. Usually homes with a higher number of children, that live in a domestically violent

environment, are key witnesses to over hearing, intervening, and being exposed to the violence

that occurs within the household (Kitzmann, Gaylord, Holt, & Kenny,2003, p.340). The children

examined from domestic/family violent homes have many different psychological effects that

were caused by living in such a violent atmosphere. Children have a difficult time trying to

distinguish right from wrong, and most of the time have emotional/ behavioral episodes that

could cause the child/children to be abusive to their friends, parents, and spouse all which could

cause the child to be labeled negatively as a bully or abuser. Now that weve discussed what

family/domestic violence is and in tales we shall now delve into the specific effects it incurs on

the wife and children.

Children are the real victims of something horrible of this nature. Why? They grow up

believing that this is a normalization of what is expected in life when, in reality, its false.

Multiple cases of childrens behavioral interpretations on how they should be acting, to how they
FAMILY VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITES 4

are behaving, have been studied/ compared to those same characteristics of soldiers that have

returned from war with PTSD. The similarities are significantly alike, the child/children

expressed signs of depression, anxiety, and physical outbursts (Wolfe, Crooks, Lee, Smith, &

Jaffe, 2003, p.177). Children in a family/domestic violent home have behavioral changes that

could cause their grades to lower, anger issues that become physically harmful to others, and feel

helpless when confronted by other children, or adults, which could cause harm to themselves and

others. Being a child, or children, of a battered/abused woman have been known to suffer from

sleep deprivation, and, if the child witnesses the traumatic threats made towards the mother, the

child feels helpless and could think that the threats stand as the correct way of treating women, or

others (McCloskey, Figueredo, & Koss,1995, p. 1242). In turn, this could make them abusive to

their own spouse when they are older. If child/children witness a parent being murdered by

family abuse could also cause traumatic psychological problems that could lead to mental

illnesses in the childs future. Next, we shall discuss what effects occur to the person in the

family who truly has the power to end this unfortunate household violencethe mother/ wife.

When it comes to domestic/family violence everyone who is subjected to the

abusers behavior is a victim; there is one person who has the power to turn this situation around,

and protect themselves/family, which is the mother, wife, or partner. The mother, most of the

time, is the primary target to the abuse, and, in most cases, she is usually the one to end it.

Unfortunately, the other adult, subject to the violence, has their own personal, and negative,

effects from the abuse. Women that have been subject to an abusive relationship have been

known to have a higher percentage, and risk, of depression than a soldier with PTSD (Campbell

& Lewandowski, 1997, p. 3). Being the abused, in a relationship, causes one to believe the

threats made towards the person are true, and that there will never be a better life. Being abused
FAMILY VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITES 5

daily seems to instill in ones mind that that is the way you are to be treated. The woman believes

that she is worthless, and the psychological, and emotional, threats become reality. Since there is

no normality in living without the arguing, physical altercations, and the mental abuse, the

woman doesnt feel the need to leave the environment until faced with a very serious interaction

that is life threatening. Women that are abused are seen in the hospitals with extreme illnesses/

injuries ranging from STDs to broken limbs, and suffering from depression. Compared to a

woman in a normal non-abusive relationship, an abused woman shows significant signs of fear,

trauma, and emotional distress which causes them to be in the hospital for longer periods of time.

When offered assistance in removing themselves and their children from the domestic/family

abused environment, it could cause more harm than help. If the woman is mentally and

emotionally ready to receive the aide she needs to leave that environment, she would need to be

extremely cautious that the abuser doesnt receive notice of the aide she is requesting for herself,

and her children, but, if the woman is not ready and offered the aide, she could let the abuser

know that she was offered the assistance which in turn could cause the abuser to become

extremely angry and harm the spouse/wife for trying to leave. When the time is right and the

woman is ready to gather her child/children to leave the home, she must make sure that is safe

for all of them to leave and take the necessary measures to do so. The wife/spouse that is being

abused has a tremendous amount of stress that is only added to all other emotions, and situations,

that she must overcome alone and continue to be strong for her family. The problems could

accumulate, and cause, mental outbursts that are unintentional towards the child/children, yet the

children cant comprehend. Women of family/domestic abused homes have to attend many

different types of therapies and utilize medication if needed. Lastly, we shall discuss what type

of help, aide, or options may be available for families in these unfortunate situations.
FAMILY VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITES 6

Its sad to say, but a lot of abused women, and their families, feel there is no hope for

people in their situation. They feel this is the way life is. Currently the tables have turned for this

mindset these families have. There are many resources available for them to utilize to help

themselves out of these very sad, and dangerous, circumstances. There has been proven studies

that suggest supportive social networks are beneficial to women, and their families, in an abusive

environment; these supportive programs help reduce stress incurred to the family while also

providing routes they may take to remove themselves from dangerous situations (Tan, Basta,

Sullivan & Davidson,1995, p. 438). Women have hotlines to call at all times of the day,

especially while the abuser is away from the home. There are also womens shelters that the

hotlines could direct them to go to when, for example, their blood line family is not there for

support; there are these resources that can assist in their removal from their current situation.

Another beneficial resource within all communities is healthcare; women that go to the hospital

due to physical abuse of their child, or themselves, can raise flags for these healthcare providers,

specifically nurses. The nurse is trained, especially all emergency nurses, to look for signs of

abuse, or neglect, within these community families; they will take it a step further and offer

assistance to them, by stating, that they can protect you or call authorities if your abuser is

outside. They even help them communicate get in contact with the appropriate peoples at that

very moment if need be. One beneficial aspect to this assistance offered is, if the abuser

accompanies the wife to the hospital and the nurses pick up signals with the obvious body

language between the abuser and the patient, or physical injuries, the nurse can make up, or

utilize, one of their tools for handling situations like this and say, Sir, would mind stepping out

for this part of the exam it must be done privately. The abuser will step out, and the nurse can

get closer to the patient, use therapeutic touch, and ask her, Are you in trouble, or in need of
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help? The woman will not have to be afraid to say anything at that moment. Altogether, there

are many ways for these women/ spouses, and their families, to get out of their current situations.

What it takes is the breaking point to be reached, or something unexplainably horrible to happen,

to spark the idea to seek help.

In conclusion, domestic/family violence is a serious, dangerous, and very current threat to

our society/nation. Not only is it a present threat, but it can have lifelong affects to family subject

to these unspeakable situations. A good factor to point though is, there are current ways,

programs, and assistance that can be utilized to help these families out of theses unfortunate

situations. A long-term goal thats trying to be accomplished by these supportive social programs

is: (1) to help take these families, and protect them, from these abusers, and (2) to prevent the

reoccurrence of such behavior from future generations. We, as basic human beings with a heart/

conscience, should acknowledge this problem and advocate for programs/peoples who help fight

this serious threat day in and day out.

FAMILY VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITES 8

References

Campbell, J. C., & Lewandowski, L. A. (1997). Mental and physical health effects of

intimate partner violence on women and children. Psychiatric Clinics of North

America, 20 (2), 353-374.

Edleson, J. L. (1999). Children's witnessing of adult domestic violence. Journal of

Interpersonal Violence, 14 (8), 839-870.

Kitzmann, K. M., Gaylord, N. K., Holt, A. R., & Kenny, E. D. (2003). Child witnesses to

domestic violence: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical

Psychology, 71 (2), 339-352.

Levendosky, A. A., & Graham-Bermann, S. A. (2001). Parenting in battered women: The effects

of domestic violence on women and their children. Journal of Family Violence, 16 (2),

171-192.

McCloskey, L. A., Figueredo, A. J., & Koss, M. P. (1995). The effects of systemic family

violence on children's mental health. Child Development, 66 (5), 1239-1261.

Tan, C., Basta, J., Sullivan, C. M., & Davidson, W. S. (1995). The role of social support in the

lives of women exiting domestic violence shelters: An experimental study. Journal of

Interpersonal Violence, 10 (4), 437-451.

Wolfe, D. A., Crooks, C. V., Lee, V., McIntyre-Smith, A., & Jaffe, P. G. (2003). The effects of

children's exposure to domestic violence: A meta-analysis and critique. Clinical Child

and Family Psychology Review, 6 (3), 171-187.

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