Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T19:47:43.017Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The needs of children who witness domestic violence: A South Australian study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2016

Dale Bagshaw
Affiliation:
School of Social Work & Social Policy, University of South Australia, St Bernards Road, Magill, SA 5072. Email: [email protected]@unisa.edu.au
Donna Chung
Affiliation:
School of Social Work & Social Policy, University of South Australia, St Bernards Road, Magill, SA 5072. Email: [email protected]@unisa.edu.au

Abstract

There is now increasing recognition that child abuse and domestic violence are not separate phenomena and ‘witnessing’ domestic violence can seriously affect children. This paper reports on a qualitative research project undertaken by researchers from the University of South Australia from June 1998 to January 1999, as part of the Commonwealth and States’ Partnerships Against Domestic Violence initiative. The focus of the research was on assessing the needs of women, men and young people who have experienced domestic violence in South Australia. The participants identified many ‘effects’ of witnessing or experiencing domestic violence on children, along with their needs. The findings will inform early intervention campaigns as well as broader service systems in supporting and responding to the needs of these young people.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2001

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bell, V. (1993) Interrogating Incest: Feminism, Foucault and the Law, London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Benedict, M. I., Wulff, L. M. & White, R. B. (1992) ‘Current Parental Stress in Maltreating and Nonmaltreating Families of Children with Multiple Disabilities’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 16, no 2, pp. 155164,CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burke, C. (1994) ‘Being an Effective Advocate for the Child’. In Children Who Experience Domestic Violence: Seminar Series No. 7, Sydney: New South Wales Child Protection Council.Google Scholar
Carlson, B. E. (1984) ‘Children’s Observations of Interparental Violence’. In Roberts, A.R. (Ed.) Battered Women and Their Families, New York: Springer, pp. 147167.Google Scholar
Christopoulos, C, Cohn, D.A., Shaw, D.S., Joyce, S., Sullivan-Hanson, J., Kraft, S.P. & Emery, R.E. (1987) ‘Children of abused women: Adjustment at time of shelter residence’, Journal of Marriage and the Family, 49, pp. 611619.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Curtin University School of Social Work (1992) I just couldn’t stop them: Western Australian Children Living With Domestic Violence, Western Australia: Curtin University.Google Scholar
D’Cruz, H. (1998) “Taking Responsibility’ for ‘Physical Abuse’: Gender and Disability’, the 7th Australian Women’s Studies Association Conference Proceedings, Adelaide, South Australia.Google Scholar
D’Cruz, H. (1999 – PhD in progress). Constructing Meanings and Identities: Child Protection in Western Australia. Unpublished.Google Scholar
Dietrich, D., Berkowitz, L., Kadushin, A. & McGloin, J. (1990) ‘Some factors influencing abusers’ justifications of their child abuse’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 14, pp. 337346.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Echlin, C. & Marshall, L. (1995) ‘Child protection services for children of battered women: Practice and controversy’, in Peled, E., Jaffe, P., & Edleston, J. (eds), Ending the Cycle of Violence. Community Responses to Children of Battered Women, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Emery, R.E. (1989) ‘Family Violence’, American Psychologist, 44, pp. 321328.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Featherstone, B. (1996) ‘Victims or Villains? Women who Physically Abuse their Children’, in Fawcett, B., Featherstone, B., Hearn, J. and Toft, C., (eds), Violence and Gender Relations, London: Sage pp. 178189.Google Scholar
Featherstone, B. (1997) ‘What has Gender got to do with it? Exploring Physically Abusive Behaviour Towards Children’, British Journal of Social Work, vol 27, pp. 419433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finkelhor, D. (1993) ‘Epidemiological Factors in the Clinical Identification of Child Sexual Abuse’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 17, no 1, pp. 6770.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Finkelhor, D. (1994) ‘The International Epidemiology of Child Sexual Abuse’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 18, no 5, pp. 409418.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Forbes, J. (1993) ‘:Female Sexual Abusers: The Contemporary Search for EquivalencePractice, vol 6, no 2, pp. 102111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, J. (1993) ‘Female Sexual Abusers: the Contemporary Search for Equivalence’, Practice, vol 6, no 2, pp. 102111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frey-Angel, J. (1989) ‘Treating Children of Violent Families: A Sibling group Approach’, Social Work with Groups, 12(1), pp. 95107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gary, L. T. (1991) ‘Feminist Practice and Family Violence’, in Bricker-Jenkins, M., Hooyman, N. R., & Gottlieb, N., (eds), Feminist Social Work Practice in Clinical Settings, Newbury Park: California, Sage Sourcebooks, pp. 1932.Google Scholar
Graham, H. (1981) ‘Mothers accounts of anger and aggression towards their babies’, in Frude, N. (ed.), Psychological Approaches to Child Abuse, Guildford: Billing, pp. 3951.Google Scholar
Hearn, J. (1996) ‘Men’s Violence to Known Women: Historical, Everyday and Theoretical Constructions by Men’, in Fawcett, B., Featherstone, B., Hearn, J. & Toft, C. (eds), Violence and Gender Relations, London: Sage, pp. 2237 Google Scholar
Hendrick, H. (1990) ‘Constructions and Reconstructions of British Childhood: An Interpretative Survey, 1800 to the Present’, in James, A. & Prout, A. (eds), pp. 3559.Google Scholar
Hershorn, M. & Rosenbaum, A. (1985) ‘Children of Marital Violence: A Closer Look at the Unintended Victims’, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 53, pp. 525531.Google Scholar
Hibbard, R. A. & Zollinger, T. W. (1992) ‘Medical Evaluation Referral Patterns for Sexual Abuse Victims’, Child Abuse and Neglect; vol 16, no 4, pp. 533540.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hughes, H. (1986) ‘Research with children in shelters: implications for clinical services’, Children Today, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 2125.Google ScholarPubMed
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (1997) Bringing them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families, Commonwealth of Australia.Google Scholar
Hyden, M. (1994) Woman Battering as a Marital Act: The Construction of a Violent Marriage, Oslo: Scandinavian University Press.Google Scholar
James, M. (1994) ‘Issues in Child Abuse Prevention (No. 2) – Domestic Violence as a Form of Child Abuse: Identification and Prevention’. National Child Abuse Protection Clearing House Information Manual, Canberra, p. 2.Google Scholar
Janko, S. (1994) Vulnerable Children, Vulnerable Families: The Social Construction of Child Abuse, New York: Teachers’ College Press.Google Scholar
Janko, S. (1994) Vulnerable Children, Vulnerable Families: The Social Construction of Child Abuse, New York: Teachers’ College Press Google Scholar
Johnson, C. F. (1993) ‘Physicians and Medical Neglect: Variables that affect Reporting’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 17, pp. 605612.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelley, M. L., Grace, N. & Elliott, S. N. (1990) ‘Acceptability of Positive and Punitive Discipline Methods: Comparisons among Abusive, Potentially Abusive, and Nonabusive Parents’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 14, no 2, pp. 219226.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Korbin, J. (1989) ‘Fatal Maltreatment by Mothers: a Proposed Framework’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 13, pp. 481489.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawson, C. (1993) ‘Mother-Son Sexual Abuse: Rare or Underreported? A Critique of the Research’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 17, no 2, pp. 261270,CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGee, R. A., Wolfe, D. A., Yuen, S. A., Wilson, S. K. & Carnochan, J. (1995) ‘The Measurement of Maltreatment: A Comparison of Approaches’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 19, no 2, pp. 233250.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Milner, J. (1993) ‘A Disappearing Act: the Differing Career Paths of Fathers and Mothers in Child Protection Investigations’, Critical Social Policy, vol 38, pp. 4868.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peled, E (1996). ‘Secondary Victims No More. Refocusing Intervention With Children’, in Edleson, J. & Eisikovitz, Z. (eds), Future Interventions With Battered Women and Their Families, Sage Publications Inc: California.Google Scholar
Phelan, P. (1995) ‘Incest and its Meaning: The Perspectives of Fathers and Daughters’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 19, no 1, pp. 724.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prout, A. & James, A. (1990) ‘A New Paradigm for the Sociology of Childhood: Provenance, Promise and problems’, in James, A. & Prout, A. (eds), Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood: Contemporary Issues in the Sociological Study of Childhood, London: The Falmer Press, pp. 734.Google Scholar
Queensland Domestic Violence Task Force (1988) Beyond These Walls. Report of the Queensland Domestic Violence Task Force to the Minister of Family Services and Welfare Housing, Brisbane.Google Scholar
Rosenbaum, A. & O’Leary, K.D. (1981) ‘Children: The Unintended Victims of Marital Violence’, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 51, pp. 692699.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosenberg, M. (1987) ‘Children of Battered Women: The Effects of Witnessing Violence on their Social Problem-solving abilities’, Behaviour Therapist, 4, pp. 8589.Google Scholar
Scully, D. (1990) Understanding Sexual Violence: A Study of Convicted Rapists, Boston: Unwin Hyman.Google Scholar
Seaberg, J. R. (1993) ‘Emotional Abuse: A Study of Interobserver Reliability’, Social Work Research and Abstracts, vol 29, no 3, pp. 2229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sniffer, M. (1984) Children’s Group Therapy: Methods and Case Histories, New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Smith, D. W. & Saunders, B. E. (1995) ‘Personality Characteristics of Father/Perpetrators and Nonoffending Mothers in Incest Families: Individual and Dyadic Analyses’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 19, no 5, pp. 607618.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stark, E. & Flitcraft, A. (1988) ‘Women and Children at Risk: A Feminist Perspective on Child Abuse’, InternationalJournal of Health Services, vol 18, no 1, pp. 97118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Straus, M. A., Gelles, R. J. & Steinmetz, S. (1980) Behind Closed Doors, Anchor Books, New York.Google Scholar
Thorpe, D. (1994) Evaluating Child Protection, Buckingham: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Tutty, L.M. & Wager, J. (1994) ‘The Evolution of a group for Young Children who have Witnessed Family Violence’, Social Work with Groups, 17(1/2), pp. 89104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tymchuk, A. J. (1992) ‘Predicting Adequacy of Parenting by People with Mental Retardation’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 16, no 2, pp. 165178.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van Krieken, R. (1991) Children and the State: Social Control and the Formation of the Australian Welfare State, Allen and Unwin: St Leonards.Google Scholar
Wise, S. (1990) ‘Becoming a Feminist Social Worker’, in Stanley, L. (ed) Feminist Praxis, London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Wissow, L. S. & Wilson, M. E. H. (1992) ‘Use of Epidemiological Data in the Diagnosis of Physical Child Abuse Cases: Variations in Response to Hypothetical Cases’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 16, no 1, pp. 4556.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wurtele, S. K. & Schmitt, A. (1992) ‘Child Care Workers’ Knowledge about Reporting Suspected Child Sexual Abuse’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol 16, no 3, pp. 385390.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yllo, B. & Bograd, M. (Eds) (1990) Feminist perspectives on wife abuse, Newbuiry Park: Sage Publications.Google Scholar