The Silent Victims: The Developmental Impact on Children From Exposure to Domestic Violence

1. The Silent Victims: The Developmental Impact on Children From Exposure to Domestic Violence Diane Zosky, Ph.D., ACSW, LCSW Illinois State University

2. Prevalence How Many Children Witness Parental Domestic Violence? 30% of kids 3.3 Million

3. What do kids “witness” • Physical, verbal, threats, intimidation • May include overhearing from somewhere else in the house • May not be present, but sense the signs and tension of post-violence • May be used as tool of power and control

4. Pet Abuse • May be used as tool of power and control for human victims • May exert power and control directly • May threaten abuse of animal to coerce silence from young victims

5. About 30% victims of family violence experienced animal cruelty • About 60% of people who report animal cruelty also report family violence • When children display animal cruelty, very high rates of family violence or child abuse

6. Children’s Awareness • One study found that children provide very detailed descriptions of the violence when parents reported that the children were unaware of the violence (Jaffe, Wolfe, and Wilson, 1990) • One study reported that 78% of children reported seeing violence when their parents reported that there children did not observe the domestic violence event (O’Brien, John, Margolin, and Erel, 1994) • One study reported that 21% of children called someone for help during the abuse, 23% of children became physically involved in the violence trying to stop it, and 52% yelled from another room for the violence to end (Edleson, Mbilinyi, Beeman, Hagemeister, 2003)

7. Comparative Damage • Several studies have compared abused children and children who have only witnessed parental violence with children from healthy environments • Children who have only witnessed parental domestic violence appear to suffer similar negative effects as children who have been physically abused

8. Danger to Children • Obvious risks for children • Risk for child abuse 40%-60% of homes with DV • Risk for unintentional harm children who witness may try to mediate

9. Danger to Children • Less obvious risks • Direct Path trauma of witnessing violence

10. Danger to Children • Less Obvious Risks • Indirect Path - preoccupation of primary caretakers render them unavailable as auxiliary ego for developmental tasks

11. abused women more likely to be depressed • 45%-85% of abused women/mothers diagnosed with PTSD • In regression analysis of severity of violence and maternal stress as predictors of behavioral disorders and social competence of kids, only maternal stress remained as predictor • violence = maternal stress= kids’ problems

12. Related Issues • Home-life characterized by instability • Poor problem solving modeling • Models for aggression • Gender role modeling • male = aggressive • female = passive

13. What do these kids look like??? • Impact on Social/Emotional Development

14. Negative Effects • Externalizing Effects • Internalizing Effects • Social Competence Effects • Somatic Symptoms • Family-Interpersonal Relationship Effects

15. Externalizing Effects • Aggression • Acting out • Delinquency • Hyperactivity • Post-Traumatic Play

16. Internalizing Effects • Low Self-Esteem • Depression • Isolation and Withdrawal • Guilt • Sense of Helplessness • Lack of efficacy • Lower frustration tolerance

17. Internalizing Effects • Emotional Constriction • Anxiety - generalized and specific fears • Regression in developmental achievements

18. Social Competence Effects • Impaired school performance • Inappropriate social interaction • Less sensitive with interpersonal interactions • Poor social problem solving skills • Fewer interests, activities

19. Somatic Symptoms • Nightmares and sleep disturbances • Bed wetting • Somatic complaints • Regression in developmental achievements

20. Family, Interpersonal Relationships • Separation anxiety with Mom • Mistrust/Anger towards Mom • Splitting with Dad • Role reversal, parentification of child • Inappropriate attempts to mediate conflict • Enforced family secrets

21. So What causes these kids to react this way????

22. Developmental (Attachment) Needs of Children What Do Kids Need? • Affirmed as loved, valued individual • Security, stability, consistency

23. Why do they need this? • Formation of self-identity • Formation of expectations of other

24. Neuro-physiological development • * Bruce Perry’s work on trauma and the neurobiology of brain development

25. 3 important concepts of neuro-physiological development • Development is sequential • Development is characterized by “sensitivity” or peak periods of receptivity for optimal development • Use-dependent nature of development

26. Overview of Brain Development As infants, born with only primitive brain function from ANS Followed by rapid brain development from less to more complex Brain development is sequential and dependent on periods of “sensitivity” Major working unit of brain is neurons, neurons form into networks, then into systems which mediate various functions

27. Levels of Brain Development • Brain develops from most primitive areas to more complex • From autonomic functions to purposeful thought • From brainstem, to midbrain, to limbic, to cortical

28. Brainstem Functions:most primitive functions • Regulates autonomic functions for life sustaining activity • Body temperature • Heart rate • Blood pressure • respiration brainstem

29. Midbraincontinues from the brainstem • Arousal • Sleep • Appetite • Motor regulation midbrain

30. Limbic system:much that makes us human • Emotional reactivity • Sexual behavior • Attachment • affiliation Limbic system

31. Cortex: “Our Computer” • Higher level thought • Concrete thinking • Abstract thinking cortex

32. Sequential development • Brainstem, midbrain, limbic system more primitive areas develop first • Higher functioning of cortical areas develop later • As the higher functions of brain develop, they modulate, mediate, or control lower more primitive, reactive functions of the brain

33. Higher level cortical functioning mediates impulsivity of lower areas • A 2 year old will tantrum and act out impulses from more primitive brain • A 12 year old will FEEL like throwing a tantrum but will over-ride this impulse with higher level cortical reasoning.

34. Impulse-mediating capacity • Ratio between excitatory activity of lower brain and modulating activity of higher brain • Increase activity or reactivity of brainstem, or decrease in moderating capacity of higher brain = • Increase impulsivity, aggression, violence

35. “So What” of all this • Since brain development is sequential, • Higher level development will be impaired if lower level development is impaired. • Earliest experiences have disproportionate importance in developing mature brain

36. “How” The brain developments • Undeveloped brain comprised of undifferentiated neural systems (translation: It’s a blob) • Dependent on neurochemical and neurtrophic factors (cues, chemicals) to develop

37. cues are dependent on input from the senses from child’s total experiences • Lack of or disruption in cues contribute to disrupted brain development

38. 2nd principle of brain development: Sensitivity • Critical periods for specific development • Brain is sensitive to “organizing experiences” because it is “primed” for the neurochemical signals triggered by the sensory input from the “organizing experiences”

39. Child has experience • Leads to input information through the senses • Leads to triggers for neurochemical activity • Leads to neuronal development, “brain development”

40. Use-dependent neuronal development • Exposure to repeated experiences are used to create “shortcuts” for increased efficiency of brain response

41. The Miracle of Our Brain Brain system is designed to sense, perceive, process, store, and act on information received from the External and Internal environments

42. Survival of the Species • As evolved animals, we still are instinctual • Humans, due to instinct, are pre-adapted for : • Survival

43. Adaptive Nature of Brain • In order to survive: • brain designed to change in response to signals • change permits storage of information so it can respond to environmental demand = SURVIVAL

44. Use-Dependent Neuronal Change • All experiences are filtered by the senses • Sensory signals stimulates processes in brain that alters brain chemistry and structure

45. “State” vs “Trait” • The more “use” of a response, the more it becomes an indelible template for automatic response • What would be a “state” response memory in adults becomes a “trait” for children since it becomes incorporated into brain structuralization

46. 2 ANS Paths for Child response to Threat • The Hyper-arousal Continuum • Defensive or Fight/Flight Response • The Dissociative Continuum • Freeze or Surrender Response

47. Hyper-arousal Response • Threat perceived, SNS activated • Instinctual fight or flight response • Release of stress hormones from the endocrine system, neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) in the brain system • System flooded with cortisol, norepinephrin

48. Increase in heart rate • Increase in BP • Increase respirations • Increase in pupil dilation • Decrease in digestion, release of stored sugar • Increase in muscle tone • Increase in perspiration

49. Increase in hyper-vigilance • Increase in “tunnel focus” or tune out non-critical information

50. Dissociative Continuum • First response is vocalization, cry • As threat escalates, freeze response • Advance to dissociation, or disengage from external world to internal world