Domestic Violence: Its Impact on Children
Abstract
SueAbell MD John L.Ey MD Dear Dr Sue: My husband lost his job 6 months ago. He's been very depressed and stressed out, and recently he's started taking it out on me physically. He hasn't really hurt me very much, but in addition to making mean remarks and shouting (which he's always done), he's started shoving me or even slapping me when he gets really mad. I love this man and plan to stand by him until he gets things back together, but I'm wondering about the effect all of this stress is going to have on our 3 kids, who are ages 6, 9, and 11. Dear Mom: It isn't just the family stress that is going to affect your children. Whether you've admitted it to yourself or not, you are a victim of abuse and actu- ally were even before the hitting and shoving began. Domestic abuse, or intimate partner abuse, includes physical violence, emotional abuse and coercion (including forced isolation and threats of harm to self or to loved ones), verbal abuse (including exces- sive criticism or demeaning name calling or insults), and financial abuse (restriction of access to the family's money or other assets).