Understanding the emotional impact of domestic violence on young children
Date
2014
Authors
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Educational & Child Psychology
Abstract
Young children who live with domestic violence represent a significantly disempowered group.
Developmentally, young children have relatively limited verbal skills and emotional literacy. In addition,
the context created by domestic violence frequently involves an atmosphere of secrecy and intimidation, as
well as reduced emotional availability from children’s main caregivers. Taken together, these factors severely
restrict these young children’s capacity and opportunities to make their voices and needs heard. This
qualitative study gave children who had lived with domestic violence, the opportunity to share their
emotional worlds through projective play and drawing assessments. Eight children aged between 5 and
9-years-old, took part together with their mothers. Transcripts of semi-structured interviews with the mothers
and projective play assessments with the children were analysed using abbreviated, social constructionist
grounded theory. Interpretations from the children’s drawings served to elaborate and validate themes
found in the transcript data. Themes were then linked and mapped into an initial theoretical model of how
domestic violence impacts emotionally on young children. The data gathered shows that domestic violence
generates a range of negative and overwhelming emotions for young children. There is also a concurrent
disrupting impact on the dynamics in the family which undermines the security and containment young
children need to manage and process their emotions. The presence of an attuned adult and age-appropriate
means to communicate is argued to be important in supporting young and traumatised children to share
their emotions. Implications for service planning, clinical practice and educational professionals are
discussed.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
emotional impact, exposure to violence, interpersonal violence, child witness, domestic violence
Citation
Thornton, V. (2014). Understanding the emotional impact of domestic violence on young children. Educational & Child Psychology, 31(1), 90-100.