By
Lora Griff, MSW, LCSW-C
In the 2014
released movie and 2012 best-selling book Wild,
Cheryl Strayed shares her own story as a young woman bereft from the recent
loss of her endearing mother and the demise of her own marriage. Through a series of flashbacks, she recalls
the events that led her to work through her loss by trekking the Pacific Crest
Trail from LA to Oregon, over 1000 miles on foot. There are many sources of her
personal struggle but one blatant factor is that she was a child witness to
spousal abuse. Her father beat her mother and disciplined the children with
threats of a knuckle sandwich. In one of the movie’s scenes, there is fear and
desperation in the child Cheryl's eyes as she runs into the pharmacy to
get medical supplies for her mother who is recovering from a recent
beating. Children who witness violence
between their parents are the untold victims of domestic abuse.
In early
writings about women in abusive relationships in the 1970’s, theorists
indicated that victims tend to withstand physical abuse until their children
also become targets, at which point they are more likely to leave the
relationship. What is now known in the domestic abuse field is that any
exposure to abuse affects the children. Witnessing domestic abuse
includes hearing the arguments
and fighting noises from another room, watching the incidents of
violence, observing the physical aftermath of abuse, and sensing
the resulting fear and tension in the home.
More than 3 million children witness violence in their homes each year[1]
and over 75% of children who live in homes with domestic abuse have observed
violence at least once[2].
There are
short- and long-term impacts on child witnesses of domestic abuse. Short-term impacts include increased anxiety,
depression, fear, anger, physical symptoms such as stomachaches and headaches,
and poor school performance due to decreased concentration. Long-term effects
include impaired future relationships in which they may identify with and
assume the role of either the victimized or abusive partner. Without
intervention, the cycle of violence often perpetuates with the next generation.
Over the
last two decades, awareness has increased about the effects witnessing abuse
has on children. We now know that the
severity of the impact depends on a variety of factors, including chronicity
and severity of abuse, and the presence of other risk factors, including
substance abuse, poverty and mental illness. Children who are best able to
survive these situations demonstrate high self-esteem, have parents who are
tuned into the impact of witnessing abuse, and have other protective adult
family or community members in their lives. JCADA works with clients to empower them to create a safe home for their
families and become role models for being survivors rather than victims of
abuse.
Lora Griff is a
licensed clinical social worker in Maryland and Virginia. She was a clinical
consultant and community presenter for JCADA and now serves on JCADA’s Clinical
Committee. Griff is also a Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work
and a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the Greater
Washington Society for Clinical Social Work.
[1]
“Domestic Violence: Statistics and Facts.” Safe
Horizon. http://www.safehorizon.org/page/domestic-violence-statistics--facts-52.html
[2]
“For Caregivers: Understanding the Problem.” Child Witness to Violence Project. http://www.childwitnesstoviolence.org/facts--myths.html
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