- Safety & Security
- Services
- Domestic and Sexual Violence Resource Center
- Children & Domestic Violence
Children & Domestic Violence
Studies
Children and domestic violence studies show the following:
- 3 to 4 million children between the ages of 3 to 17 are at risk of exposure to domestic violence each year.
- Childhood abuse and trauma has a high correlation to emotional and physical problems in adulthood.
- Childhood domestic violence experiences can negatively affect a developing brain, creating a series of negative beliefs lasting into adulthood.
- Childhood exposure to domestic violence is the strongest risk factor for transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next.
- Up to 90% of children living in homes with domestic violence, know what is happening.
Children Who Experience Violence
Those who experience childhood domestic violence are six times more likely to commit suicide, 50% more likely to abuse alcohol and/or drugs, and 74% more likely to commit a violent crime.
Children Who Witness Violence
Children who witness domestic violence may display the following responses.
Physical Responses
- Bed-wetting
- Headaches
- Loss of concentration
- Stomach-aches
Behavioral Responses
- Acting out
- Aggression
- Delayed speech, motor or cognitive skills
- Self-injury
- Withdrawal/isolation
Emotional Responses
- Anger (at both parties)
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Fear
- Guilt
- Sadness
- Shame
- Sleep disturbances
“The single best predictor of children becoming either perpetrators or victims of domestic violence later in life is whether or not they grow up in a home where there is domestic violence."
- Unicef
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Lindsay G. Cassada
Coordinator, DSVRC
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Domestic and Sexual Violence Resource Center
Physical Address
7000 Lucy Corr Blvd
Second Floor, Room 2008
Chesterfield, VA 23832
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 40
Chesterfield, VA 23832
Phone 804-748-1600Fax 804-717-2492Emergency Phone 911
Hours
Monday - Friday
8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
If you are in danger or need immediate assistance, dial 911.
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Domestic Violence Task Force
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 741
Chesterfield, VA 23832
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Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court
Physical Address
7000 Lucy Corr Boulevard
Chesterfield, VA 23832