About 70% of men who abuse their wives also abuse
their children.
14% of girls in abusive homes will be sexually abused by a family
member.
As the severity of the wife abuse increases, so does the severity
of the child abuse.
Witnessing Abuse:
According to the children
themselves, nearly 100% witness the abuse.
Children who have chronically witnessed abuse have
reactions similar to the reactions of children who have been physically abused, including:
• Disruptions of normal developmental patterns;
• Disturbed patterns of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral
adjustment;
• Poor health and psychosomatic problems.
• Terror.
They often have difficulties with school.
Boys who witness their father beating their mother are three
times more likely to abuse their own wives.
Ongoing marital violence in childhood is significantly predictive
of the perpetration of serious crimes in adulthood.
In sum, children exposed to wife abuse may be similar to those
children described as suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Separation Does Not Stop the Abuse
In almost three-fourths of
spouse-on-spouse assaults, the perpetrator and survivor were separated or divorced at the
time of the incident.
Children who had not seen their father in 5 years did
significantly better than those who had spent 1 through 13 days with their father in the
previous year.
The effects of witnessing violence on children are more severe the
longer the exposure continues.
The most important predictor of a child’s social adjustment
in recovery from violence is the quality of the relationship with the custodial parent, a
relationship severely hampered by ongoing conflict.
Created by Jack C. Straton
C/o University Studies, Portland State University, Portland, OR,
97207-0751, 503-725-4227
