Domestic Violence

"In a study of 41 families, 85% of children were present in the household while their mothers were being abused in some way and 71% saw their mothers being physically assaulted (McGee, 2000). Between 45-70% of children who are exposed to domestic violence are also of physical abuse (Fantuzzo & Mohr, 1999). Specific assessments measuring depression and anxiety in children of battered women foudn that 16% met the clinical criteria for depression and 23% were in the clinical range for anxiety (Jouriles et al., 2000). 'A child exposed to the father abusing the mother is at the strongest risk for transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next' (Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, APA, 1996)."