A new study looking at the effects of domestic violence on children has, for the first time, sought answers from three key sources - mothers, teachers and the children themselves.
Jennifer Smith, a lecturer in the School of Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Queensland, interviewed 68 mothers and children aged four to 12 over a period of almost two years.
The women had been separated from their husbands for about 18 months before the families first took part in the research and for close to three years by the end of the study program.
Working through the Brisbane Registry Office of the Family Court, Ms Smith said she wanted to build on previous research which had tended to rely on reports from mothers in women's refuges.
"I particularly wanted to ask children about their perceptions of domestic violence and see how, according to their mothers and teachers, they coped and adjusted," Ms Smith said.
The survey revealed that 85 percent of the children had witnessed frequent or relatively frequent verbal aggression between their parents, 31 percent had witnessed hitting, 40 percent had seen pushing and shoving, and 14 percent had themselves been subject to physical abuse.
Questionnaires and interviews were designed to probe the perceptions of 60 children aged eight to 12 on such issues as the frequency, severity and resolution of domestic violence, the level of threat to parents and themselves, coping strategies and self-blame.
Mothers were also interviewed about the frequency and intensity of the violence and Ms Smith found "a modest level of agreement" between their reports and those of the children.
One of the main findings was that the child's perception of the violence was significantly related to the mother's report of how they had adjusted by the time of the second interview 18 months later.
"Children who rated the violence as severe were said by their mothers to be experiencing more problems 18 months down the track plus their social skills were lower and anxiety levels higher," Ms Smith said.
Neither the reports from mothers or children about the severity of domestic violence were significantly related to the teachers' reports of the children's adjustment.
Ms Smith said this might be explained by the fact that the children tended to have emotional problems rather than behavioural ones which were more likely to be observed by teachers.
However, mothers picked up on emotional problems such as anxiety, depression and lower self-esteem. Ms Smith said these were related to the children's perceptions of the severity of the marital violence, the level of threat they perceived from the spousal aggression, and the level of self-blame they attributed to themselves.
"The most important thing for me about this research is that it shows the need to include children in any study of this type," Ms Smith said.
"They have valid opinions and we can learn a lot from them. They provide clues to our understanding of why some kids cope in these situations and others don't.
"How kids cope is very important. If they adopt passive strategies there is a risk they will stay in abusive relationships themselves. It's much better for them to learn they don't have to put up with domestic violence.
"At the same time, however, if they become actively involved in trying to protect a parent from domestic violence there is a risk that they may be physically harmed as well."
Ms Smith said governments needed to provide resources for children who experienced domestic violence.
"We have to break the cycle of victimisation whereby they either become victims again or abusers. And we have to work with kids who blame themselves as that can generate ongoing negative emotional issues," she said.
"We now have to recognise that children are also victims of domestic violence and therefore have a right to education, treatment and counselling."
For further information, contact Jennifer Smith (telephone 3365 2285).
