Domestic Violence Part 2: The Effect of Domestic Violence on
Children This is the second in a series of blogs on domestic
violence and healthy relationships which we originally posted
last year in honor of October’s Domestic Violence Awareness
Month. Check back each week in October for upcoming blogs on Why
People Abuse and Why Victims Stay. It is estimated that at least
10 – 20% of American children are exposed to domestic violence
in their homes. The effects on children vary widely. Some
children are very resilient and continue to function in
relatively healthy ways. But many children suffer from long-term
effects. Children who see, hear or are aware of violence at home
are much more likely to get hurt themselves – either by getting
hit directly or being ‘caught in the crossfire’ and hurt
accidentally. Even when they are not hurt physically, they are
usually hurt emotionally. They are much more likely to get in
trouble for fighting with peers, do poorly in school, be
diagnosed with learning disorders, atten