Family violence is a physical or sexual attacks on a spouse, live-in partner or sibling by another member of the family unit. Also known as domestic violence. Family violence often leads to or is accompanied by child maltreatment, particularly physical abuse.

Though wives may attack husbands or boyfriends, many of these attacks are made in self-defense. Because their average size and strength is usually significantly greater, men are more likely to inflict serious injury on both women and children.

Violence between siblings may be the most frequent form of family violence. Unfortunately, little information is available on either its incidence or effects. In addition, sibling abuse is thought to represent a significant proportion of child abuse; however, it is also the type of family violence that is the least likely to be reported to authorities.

Effects of Family Violence on Children

Even if children themselves are not abused, it is traumatic for them to witness the abuse of their parent or other family members. Children may be very conflicted, wishing to defend the family member but being afraid to do so, since the abuser is nearly always much bigger and stronger than the child and is often a parent or parental authority figure. However, when the child does not defend the abused person, he or she may feel guilty and conflicted. According to Gail Hornor in her article in the Journal of Pediatric Care in 2005, "The child is torn between a desire to help or rescue the victim and the need to keep a family secret. School-aged children may begin to feel responsible for the violence."

School-aged children in homes where violent behavior is occurring may have trouble with their schoolwork and may also exhibit somatic complaints, such as headaches and stomachaches, that are related to the incidents of family violence.

Family violence may be very difficult for adolescents. Said Hornor, "Adolescents in domestically violent homes express rage, shame, and betrayal. These feelings may be manifested by rebellious behaviors such as truancy, dropping out of school, drug/alcohol use, and running away. Adolescents also may exhibit loss of impulse control." She also added that the witnessing of family violence in childhood increases the risk for the child being in a violent personal relationship in adulthood.

Hornor said that primary-care providers should screen families for family violence, and by doing so, they may play a key role in helping to end family violence, as well as in breaking the cycle of continued violence when children grow into adulthood. She added, "The psychological trauma of the child witnessing domestic violence can be reduced by decreasing the child's exposure to the violence and linking the child and family to mental health resources, thus helping the child and family to heal."

Factors Related to Family Violence

Richard J. Gelles, an expert in child abuse and family violence, has identified four factors that are directly related to family violence. The first is the intergenerational nature of abuse, which means that an abused child is more likely to become an abusive adult than an adult who was not abused in childhood. However, not all abused children grow up to become abusive adults.

Next, poverty is also related to violence in families. Though the majority of families with incomes below poverty guidelines are not violent, it is also true that the rates of child abuse and spouse abuse in poor families are higher than in families with substantially higher incomes.

A third characteristic of violent as well as neglectful families is social isolation. These families are observed to have infrequent contacts with friends and relatives, participate in few community activities and move often.

A final factor, social stress, may combine some of the three previous factors with other stressful circumstances. Unemployment, low levels of education, high-stress jobs, marital conflict, poor living conditions and many other factors can increase the level of family stress and may lead to family violence.

Physical Violence and Child Abuse

In a study published in Violence and Victims in 2004 by Li-Ching Lee, Jonathan B. Kotch and Christine E. Cox, the researchers studied 219 mother-child pairs in which the children were newborns. Of these child-caregiver pairs, 42 families (19.2%) had at least one child maltreatment report within two years following the initial interviews.

The researchers found that physical violence in the families was a predictive factor for child abuse. The researchers also discovered that the family's receipt of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)--now known as Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF)--was highly associated with family violence and child maltreatment.

Said the researchers, "Agencies that intervene in families to prevent domestic violence would do well to routinely investigate the possibility of child maltreatment. Such efforts could contribute to the development of improved strategies for ameliorating the pernicious effect of domestic violence and maltreatment on children through prevention and early intervention."

References:

1)         Hornor, Gail. "Domestic Violence and Children." Journal of Pediatric Health Care 19, no. 4 (2005): 206-212.

2)         Lee, Li-Ching, Jonathan B. Kotch, and Christine E. Cox. "Child Maltreatment in Families Experiencing Domestic Violence." Violence and Victims 19, no. 5 (October 2004): 573-591.

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