NCJ Number
216292
Editor(s)
Kathi Black
Date Published
1996
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Using interviews with actual adult victims of domestic violence and their children, accompanied by narration, this video examines the emotional and physical effects on children of their witnessing of domestic violence.
Abstract
The case featured in the video involved children witnessing their mother being stabbed by their stepfather. One of her sons called 911, which saved his mother's life. The father was convicted of attempted murder and imprisoned. The interviews with the mother and her children focus on the circumstances of the attack and their ongoing thoughts, feelings, and physical reactions stemming from the attack. An interview with the director of a New York City program of counseling and treatment for children who have witnessed violence addresses the types of psychological disorders that can emerge in children who have witnessed violence. They include anxiety about the safety of the victimized parent as well as their own safety, fear of another attack, flashbacks of the violent event, nightmares, sleep disorders, and aggressive behavior by the children. Interviews with other children who have witnessed violence between parents or between a parent and an intimate partner reveal their confusion about the violent behavior, their wish for a peaceful and happy life, and their inability to free their minds from thoughts and feelings about what they saw and heard in the course of the violence. A booklet that accompanies the video offers general suggestions to teachers about how to lead children in discussions before and after a multimedia instructional session.