Post 3: Children Witnessing Violence

Violence, according to Ministry of Justice in the website of Justice.govt.nc that violence is physical force or power, threatened or actual against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has likelihood of result in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation. The definition should be understood to include physical, sexual, psychological abuse. 

It is an intense, turbulence, or furious and often destructive action or force, and vehement feeling or expressions. There are 3 types of violence: Self-directed violence, Interpersonal violence, and Collective violence.

• Self-directed violence includes suicidal behavior and self harm. (ex. Suicide)
• Interpersonal violence includes violence inflicted against one individual by another, or by a small group. (ex. Family and Community violence)
• Collective violence includes violence inflicted by a large groups such as states, organised political group, military or terrorist group.

Domestic Violence 

I read an article entitled Children- The Hidden Victims of Domestic Violence by Marina Rosa in the website of Hub Pages states that the normal human being's response to trauma are complex changes in brain and body, Fight or Fight response, the impact of trauma may vary from temporary loss of sense of trust and life for others and long term and severe symptoms such as depression, anxiety, phobias, and other, psychological problems.

Childhood exposure to domestic violence is related to higher rate of PSTD and other adverse consequences in childhood and in later life than other "non-personal" traumatic events or act of violence.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)- can affect those  who personally experience the catastrophe, those who witness it, and those who pick up the pieces afterwards, including emergency workers and law enforcement officers. It can even occur in the friend or family members of those who went through the actual trauma.


Events cause in PTSD- The diagnosis of PTSD requires that an individual experience an event that involves a threat to one's own or another's life or physical integrity and that they respond in intense fear, helplessness, or horror.These are example of traumatic events that results in PTSD: natural and man made disasters such as floods; violent crimes such as kidnapping, rape or murder of a parent, sniper fire and school shootings; motor vehicles accidents such as automobile and plane crashes; exposure to community violence; war; peer suicide; and sexual and physical abuse. This information is according to the article entitled PTSD in children and adolescents by National Center for PSTD Fact Sheet in the website of Hidden Hurt.

The Effect of Witnessing Abuse

Many children who witness the abuse of their mothers demonstrate significant behavioral and/or emotional problems including psychosomatic disorders, stuttering, anxiety and fears, sleep disruption, excessive crying and problems at school. Domestic violence or Abuse is highly relevant to the child's present and future well being.

It is said that one of the effect of witnessing abuse is anxiety and fear, which anxiety and fear can become deeper and the result is trauma or phobia to the children. And it said that it can be result in having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which is one of the types of trauma that commonly find in children who witness to the violence.

"People throw around statistics saying that up to 70% or 80%  of children of batterers are also abused. That statistics is wrong. Every child who witness abuse is a victim of abuse. As an abused child, and then as an adult trying to recover, I was far more affected by witnessing the abuse of my mother than I was by the abuse directed toward me" stated by Carla's Story

While making this blog my parents are fighting each other verbally. When I hear their exchanging hurtful words it's becoming worsen, the volume of their voices are higher and higher and the words their using are become worsen so I lost my focus on my blog because I was panicking and my heart beats become faster, I don't know what will I do to them or what will I do to myself because I lost my focus and I was afraid. So I'll just do my blog and wear head phone just to pretend that I don't hear them. My experience is just a mild experience from witnessing violence, I realize that there's more severe experience from witnessing abuse like repetitive fight of parents , I am blessed because I didn't experience it in my life every day and I don't experience it when I was young only now where I can understand happenings in my surroundings and where I can handle myself. 

We must be sensitive in children in every aspects because they're too innocent to understand their surroundings especially we must be sensitive in their emotions. As a person who didn't  study much about this topic, it's really hard to dictate the symptoms of children who have the possibility in PSTD or trauma. Because the symptoms of PSTD to adult are not the same in children so it's hard to know if the child is having a psychological disorder. That's why adults must be more sensitive in children especially parents because children really love their parents and only parents are the ally of the children in this world. Parents are role model of their child. And if this happen to the child when she was young it will reflect to her future. 

"I can't remember the first time he hit me but I can remember the times he did" stated by Jay's Story