The Impact of Witnessing Domestic Violence on Children: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Domestic violence affects all who are exposed: perpetrators, victims, and the children who
witness the violence. It is important to understand how complex domestic violence is to
effectively understand the systems that are affected by this crime. This systematic review
studied previous research that examined the experiences of children who witness domestic
violence and it’s impacts on their behaviors, adjustments, and development. This review was
designed to explore the question: What is the impact of witnessing domestic violence on
children? Analysis revealed three interrelated themes from these articles. These themes centered
on the impacts of witnessing domestic violence on children and included: 1) Dysregulation in
cognitive and emotional systems; 2) Impact on behavioral systems: internalizing behaviors and
externalizing behaviors; 3) Multi-level perspectives. The findings show that children’s exposure
to domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) is extremely prevalent and those
children are considered at a higher risk for problems in holistic development. The findings also
highlight the importance of identifying the effects of witnessing domestic violence and intimate
partner violence. Moving forward, more research is required on therapeutic interventions for
children witnesses.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
child witness to interpersonal violence, interpersonal violence, domestic violence, exposure to violence, interpersonal violence, impact
Citation
Pingley, T. (2017). The Impact of Witnessing Domestic Violence on Children: A Systematic Review. Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers. 776. St. Catherine University University of St. Thomas