|
This
article is reprinted from Challenges.
WARNING
SIGNS THAT YOUR CHILD MAY BE EXPERIENCING DISTRESS
AS A RESULT OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
AGES
0-2
Demands
a lot of attention
Easily startled
Cries or screams excessively
Sleep disturbances, nightmares, hard to get to sleep
Frequent health problems
Feeding/Eating problems
Excessive separation anxiety
AGES
3-5
Frequent temper tantrums
Excessive fear or anxiety
Has trouble separating from mother
Clingy
Eating problems
Cries or screams excessively
Bed wetting
Is self-abusive (biting self, pulling hair, head banging)
Overly active
Shows regression in development
Aggressive behavior
Withdrawn
AGES
6-11
Problems getting along with other children
Easily frightened
Excessive anxiety
Demands a lot of attention
Is withdrawn or depressed
Is aggressive
Has difficulty separating from mother
Attempts to protect mother from harm (Gets hurt)
Caretaking of adults (Feels responsible)
Blames mother for violence
Identifies with father
Dangerous risk-taking
Overly active
Attention problems at school, sleep disturbances
Somatic problems (headaches, stomach aches)
AGES
12 and up
Attempts to protect mother from harm
Runs away
Depression
Fights with sisters and brothers
Has difficulty in school
Teen pregnancy
Has trouble concentrating
Is easily influenced by peers
Demands a lot of attention
Alcohol and drug problems
Low self-esteem
Uses relationships to leave home quickly
Has problems with the law
Suicide
Learns to be an over-achiever
Blames mother for violence
Eating problems
Sociopathic behaviors (e.g., stealing)
|
WHO CAN I
TALK TO?
Friends and family members whom you trust
Private therapist or counselor
Health care professional, e.g., nurse practitioner,pediatrician,
ob-gyn, etc.
Advocates for battered women
Teachers
District Attorney Victim Witness Program
Confidential Hotlines
Parents Anonymous
Minister, Rabbi, Priest
Co-workers.
ARTICLES
TO READ
Domestic Violence is a Children’s Issue
Child Abuse and Woman Abuse: Understanding the Connections &
Designing Safe Interventions
Silent Victims: Children Who Witness Violence
STORIES TO
READ WITH YOUR CHILDREN
Something’s Wrong At My House
Mommy and Daddy Are Fighting
FURTHER READING
FOR PARENTS AND PROFESSIONALS
Children of Battered Women (Jaffe)
Ending the Cycle of Violence: Community Responses to Children of
Battered Women (Edelson)
When Love Goes Wrong (Schecter and Jones)
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
Approximately 2.7 million cases of child abuse and neglect are reported
each year in the U.S. Child abuse can be divided into four basic
categories: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and ritual
abuse.
PHYSICAL
ABUSE refers to the physical maltreatment of a child. According
to a nationwide Gallup poll, 3 million children are victims of physical
abuse annually.
EMOTIONAL
ABUSE includes verbal or emotional assault; withholding of adequate
nurturing; and close confinement or isolation. 1991, 5% of all officially
reported cases of child maltreatment involved emotional abuse...
SEXUAL ABUSE
encompasses sexual molestation, incest, and exploitation for
prostitution or the production of pornographic materials. Approximately
1.3 million children are sexually abused each year in the U.S. Most
child sexual abuse offenders are not strangers but adults the abused
child knows and trusts.
RITUAL ABUSE
is a newly identified category of child abuse that is composed of
“the intentional physical abuse, sexual abuse or psychological
abuse of a child by a person responsible for the child’s welfare,
when such abuse is repeated and/or stylized and is typified by such
other acts as cruelty to animals or threats of harm to the child,
other persons and animals.” Of 6000 therapists surveyed in
U.S., 30% reported having seen at least one case of ritual child
abuse or religion-related abuse in the 1980s
<top
of page>
|
