RELEVANT
FOCUSED
READY

What Are the Effects of Domestic Violence Against Children?
Monica Gosal

Discussion

Introduction
The focus of this research study is to examine literature which
addresses the detrimental effects of domestic violence among
children between the ages of 8-18 years old. Approximately 9 million
Canadians or 1 out of 3 Canadians have experienced abuse before the
age of 15 (Taylor, G., 2016, p.3). Domestic violence can include
physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation and exposure to
family violence (Kaukinen, C., Powers, R.A., & Meyer, S., 2016, p.
203). As individuals of society, we must recognize that domestic
violence against children can negatively impact the development of
the child and can place an increased risk for physical, emotional and
behavioural symptoms. The research question is “What are the effects
of domestic violence against children?” The scope of the research
study is to examine the role of law enforcement agencies when
dealing with children who have been domestically abused. The
research study also attempts to discuss the important and urgency to
provide effective intervention strategies to minimize the negative
effects from domestic violence.

The research study suggests that domestic violence can be
destructive a child’s development and can be mitigated with effective
intervention from law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement
officers must have proper intervention strategies that ensure the
child is not at a risk of secondary victimization. The financial
resources to ensure that officers have specialized training in assisting
children who have been domestically abused become costly for the
department to do so (McCabe & Murphy, 2017, p. 197) The research
also suggests that agencies that are aimed to help and support
children from domestic abuse, however they cannot because of the
challenges they are faced with (Kaukinen et al., 2016). Ineffective
intervention strategies can lead to a heightened risk for secondary
victimization or future criminal behavior. It is critical to focus on the
issue of domestic violence against children because it is detrimental
to their health and can not be mitigated without the help and
support from law enforcement agencies. Hence, domestic violence
among children can occur at the beginning of one’s life and often
continue until death (McCabe & Murphy, 2017, p. 28).

Background
Domestic violence against children is a horrific epidemic that has
created negative effects among many children. Domestic violence
against children is a significant issue due to the devastating
consequences the child receives, which can have a detrimental impact
on society. According to De Jong (2016), domestic violence can
contribute to an unhealthy adult lifestyle, poor physical and mental
health and future criminal behavior (p. 201). Furthermore, law
enforcement agencies must have extensive knowledge on the impact
of domestic violence against children. Law enforcement agencies
must be aware of the symptoms associated with domestic violence
and use effective intervention strategies to mitigate the situation.
Domestic violence can impair the child’s ability to function and effect
the well being of the child, which is why it is crucial that law
enforcement agencies and individuals pay greater attention to
children who are being abused and reform the methods to combat
this issue.

Methods
A critical appraisal method was used to complete the research study
from secondary data. The secondary data obtained was relevant to
the research topic. The secondary data was collected through the
Justice Institute of British Columbia’s online library database
(EBSCOhost Discovery Service EDS) by using keywords to narrow the
results and find the most relevant literature. The keywords “domestic
violence” and “children” yielded a total of 18,467 hits. Inclusion
criteria was established to narrow the literature search to full English
text, research conducted in North America and a publication range
from 2010 to 2018. Other databases searched included ProQuest and
Google Scholar. Furthermore, specific keywords were added such as
“child abuse”, “childhood exposure”, “child maltreatment” and “child
neglect” which resulted in 35 articles. The secondary data was
analysed to ensure that the information was credible and strongly
related to the research question.

Retrieved from: www.secureteen.com/child-abuse-prevention/what-parents-can-do-toprevent-child-abuse/

Conclusions and Recommendations

The following recommendation can be made to law enforcement
agencies:
1. Establishment of specialized training for officers about
intervention methods for domestic violence cases
2. Establishment of seminars on mitigating the issue of domestic
violence among children from professionals in the field.
3. Establishment of community based programs to educate parents
about domestic violence and how to create a safe environment
for your child.
4. Continuing to create practices and programs to mitigate domestic
violence among children.
The research study concludes that children who are abused from the
ages of 8-18 years old are at a heightened risk to experience negative
symptoms. The research shows that law enforcement agencies are
must create effective intervention methods to mitigate the issue of
domestic violence and to better prepare officers when dealing with
domestic violence cases. The effects stemming from domestic
violence among children can be significantly mitigated with proper
intervention methods that are carried out by law enforcement
agencies.

Results/Findings
The literature review presented four common themes pertaining to
domestic violence among children. The themes were:
1. Children who are domestically abused are at risk for aggression,
depression, anxiety, poor academic performance that can lead to
an unhealthy adult lifestyle.
2. Law enforcement officers must undergo specialized training to
effectively deal with children who have been domestically abused.
3. The criminal justice system is not set up to meet the best interests
of children who have been domestically abused.
4. Domestic violence can result in children engaging in criminal
behavior in their adulthood which can lead to the continuation of
domestic violence.
The themes suggest that domestic violence among children can lead
to detrimental outcomes and that law enforcement agencies are not
doing enough to mitigate this issue.

Bachelor of Law Enforcement Studies

Retrieved from http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Child-abuse-cases-increase-inSoutheast-Alaska-expert-says-477266623.html

References

De Jong, A. R. (2016). Domestic violence, children and toxic stress.
Widener Law Review, 22(2), 201-213. Retrieved from http://
heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/
wlsj22&div=15&Id=&page=
Kaukinen, C., Powers, R. A., & Meyer, S. (2016). Estimating Canadian
childhood exposure to intimate partner violence and other risky
parental behaviours. Journal Of Child Custody, 13(2/3), 199-218.
doi:10.1080/15379418.2016.1204581
McCabe, K. A., & Murphy, D.G. (2017). Child abuse: Today’s issues.
Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press.
Taylor, G. (2016). The Chief Public Health Officer’s report on the state of the public
health in Canada 2016: A focus on family violence in Canada. Retrieved from
Government website http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/publications/departmentministere/state-public-health-family-violence-2016-etat-sante-publiqueviolence-familiale/alt/pdf-eng.pdf

Justice Institute of British Columbia

March 2018