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Children's Typical Responses to Domestic Violence Listed by Age
Under 2 years
- Respond to loud stimuli with increased fear (crying)
- Developmental delays (slower to walk, crawl, talk, etc.)
- Nightmares
2 - 5 years
- Regressive behavior (lose toileting skills, baby talk, more
clingy, revert to use of bottle)
- Somatic problems
- Nightmares
- Hyper vigilance
- Repetitive play, acting out domestic violence
- Increased sibling violence
- Cruelty to animals
- Developmental delays (slower to learn ABC's, read, etc.)
- Decreased playfulness and spontaneity
- Feel responsible for violence (believe if they behaved better,
it would not occur)
- Increased dependency on primary caretaker
6 - 12 years
- Increased problems at school (misbehavior, grades drop)
- Increased acting out, getting into trouble (may see lying,
stealing, truancy, setting fires)
- Often viewed by others as having attentional problems or learning
disabilities
- May withdraw and become reclusive rather than acting out
- May take on role of "family hero" or caretaker
- Increases anger directed at victim of violence (it is unsafe
to direct anger at the perpetrator) batterer leaves anger escalates
- Develop inflated sense of responsibility
- Learn to disrespect the victim of violence because perpetrator
models that behavior
- Confuse love and violence (learn that people hit those
they love)
- Develop emotional problem such as depression
12 - 18 years
- Aggressive behavior (violence to control others and solve problems)
- Severe behavior and emotional problems (running away, theft,
depression, anxiety)
- Develop rigid sex roles - usually stereotypical
- Increased incidence of dating violence
- Self-destructive behavior (eating disorders, drug and alcohol)
- Increase risk for early marriages and/or teen pregnancy (often
as an escape from parents)
- Increase risk for suicide and homicide
- Develop poor boundary systems (either too rigid or
too weak)
- Develop distrust for most authority figures (or
all adults)
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