Family members who are not the targets of abuse can suffer long-lasting emotional damage from witnessing the abuse of a loved one. According to the American Psychological Association, more than 3 million children annually witness domestic violence inside the home against one of their parents. These reports don't even include the other kinds of abuse, such as sexual and emotional abuse.
Gender Roles
Children learn gender roles from society and their parents. These roles are learned from an early age and quickly become etched in our personalities. When domestic violence is witnessed, children can become confused about the roles that men and women have, according to HelpGuide.org. Regardless of whether it is emotional or physical abuse, if a young girl is forced to watch her mom being abused, her relationships as an adult are more likely to suffer or make her hesitant to enter into relationships at all. If a male watches his dad abuse his mom growing up, his adult relationships are more likely to reflect the violence that he experienced.
Misbehavior
The outward behavior of the children in an abusive household is another effect of domestic violence. When kids see domestic violence, they are often not able to express how they are feeling to others, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because of this, they frequently end up behaving badly. The exact behaviors that are shown depends on the age of the child. Some of the ways in which a child might act out include gang involvement, bed-wetting, suicide, lying, teen pregnancy, self-abuse, fighting, nightmares and refusing to go to school.
Physical Harm
It is rare that domestic violence happens solely behind the closed doors of the parents' bedroom. It is extremely likely that if children are in the house, they are being abused along with the spouse. Even if they are not being abused regularly, they could find themselves in harm's way if they try to intervene and protect the parent that is being assaulted. This scenario is much more common in older children.
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