Domestic Violence and its Profound Effects on Australian Families

This essay delves into the pervasive issue of domestic violence and its detrimental effects on Australian families, particularly focusing on child development. It begins by outlining the concept of child development, emphasizing the biological, emotional, and psychological changes children undergo from infancy through adolescence. The essay then explores the factors influencing child development, including the significant impact of the social environment and economic status. It defines domestic violence and child abuse, highlighting various forms such as physical assault, emotional abuse, and intimidation. The core of the essay examines the impact of domestic violence on children, discussing physical symptoms, psychological trauma, and behavioral issues. It cites statistics on the prevalence of domestic violence in Australia and notes the disproportionate impact on Indigenous communities. The essay concludes by suggesting measures to address domestic violence and promote a healthier society.

Running head: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS EFFECT ON AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS EFFECT ON AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS EFFECT ON AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
EFFECTS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON MIDDLE CHILDHOOD (6-12 YEARS)
Mrs. Michelle Codey had arrived at the sports ground with blood blisters on her face and
hand. She had arrived to her son’s annual sports meet and her son, Stephen. Stephen has already
been behaving in a manner that clearly demonstrated his mental torment. Michelle was covering
up for her scars by saying that she had tripped down the stairs at her workplace. However, that
was not the case. Michelle had been facing continuous abuse at the hands of her husband, Alex
Codey, who is reportedly roguish in nature. The husband has been working as a labor and
returns home late and drunk. The torturous ordeal of physical violence on Michelle starts
thereafter. Stephen is at times even forced to watch the ordeal from afar. This has resulted in a
trauma on the part of Stephen as well.
Introduction
Child development discusses the various changes of the child in the years of growth in
the biological, emotional and the psychological factors. The individual is observed to have been
going through the various stages that help him or her in gaining autonomy in his life from the
infant stages of dependency on the elders, majorly the caregivers. The development of the
children within the society tend to affected gravely by the social environment that is existent
within the given territorial boundaries. The children who have been residing within a social
stratum tend to follow the customs and the practices that are generally followed by the people
within the strata. The domestic violence is generally observed to have been practiced with the
ultimate purpose of gaining control over the people who have been linked very closely with the
concerned person in a familial or any other intimate relation. The following essay discusses the
effect of the domestic violence on the development of children within the Australian familial
settings. The essay opens with a discussion on the concept of child development and proceeds to

2DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS EFFECT ON AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
shed light on the various factors that affect the development of the children within the society.
The essay further proceeds to discuss the issues of domestic violence and child abuse and the
impact of the issues on the child development. The essay nears a conclusion with the discussion
on a few recommended measures that would help in resolving the issues and thereby developing
a healthy society.
Concept of child development
The concept of child development sheds light on the various changes of the child in the
years of growth. The child experiences major changes in the biological, emotional and the
psychological factors that are experience by the concerned children from the time of birth till the
time when they reach their adulthood. These changes are observed to be taking place within the
child all along their lives. These changes are initiated at the time of birth and reach a point of
drastic changes during the adolescence ages of the child. The developmental changes in the child
finally end at the stage when the child reaches his or her adulthood. The individual is observed to
have been going through the various stages that help him or her in gaining autonomy in his life
from the infant stages of dependency on the elders, majorly the caregivers. The development of
the person might be subdivided into five major sections. Naylor (2017) state that these include
the development in the physical factors, the emotional factors, the spiritual factors, the
intellectual factors and the social factors. These five major factors combine together to
demonstrate an overall development of the concerned person.
The majority of the development of the child takes place during the middle childhood
with the initiation of the developmental factors from the stages of the early childhood. The
incidents that the child witnesses during the developmental years tend to have a long-lasting
effect on the psyche of the person and is thereafter maintained in the years to come. The majority

3DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS EFFECT ON AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
of the development of the child is observed to be influenced by the environmental factors that are
present around the individual. The major environmental factor that affects the development of
the child is the economic class wherein the child belongs (Alaggia et al. 2015). The people
belonging to the lower economic backgrounds tend to demonstrate an extreme crudeness in their
behavior towards their fellow beings, especially the women and children. The issues of the
domestic violence and child abuse are observed to have been majorly reported within the social
class that demonstrates a lower range of economy. The people belonging to such classes cannot
access the higher educational sectors and thus remain at the backward sections within the society
(Van der Kolk 2017). The people who have belong to these classes are generally observed to
have several issues in the development of the factors that are mandatory for the proper
upbringing of the children who are born in the same atmosphere.
Factors affecting child development
The development of the children is affected by a majority of factors that have been
present within the given society. The child faces the development within three major sectors that
are necessary for the existence of the of the child. These areas majorly include the physical
developmental area, the development of the cognitive abilities of the child. The development of
the child also includes development of the social abilities of the child. The child is primarily
aware of the social practices through the observations that he or she develops within the family.
Thus, the children are known to have been dealing with the issues in the development of the
social abilities within the family as well as society at large (Cook et al. 2017). The circumstances
that are implemented within the lower economic strata of the society tend to witness the high
amount of the issues that hamper the well-being of the society at large. The development of the
children within the society tend to affected gravely by the social environment that is existent

4DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS EFFECT ON AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
within the given territorial boundaries. The children who have been residing within a social
stratum tend to follow the customs and the practices that are generally followed by the people
within the strata.
The various activities and the practices that are undertaken by the people living within a
specific stratum within the society tends to have an impact on the development of the children.
The development of the children is observed to flourish as well as get stunted due to the social
environment wherein the child has been growing (Cristia et al. 2017). The development of the
children who have been living within the lower socio-economic background tend to be affected
by the social condition that the families face within the given social stratum. The majority of the
children belonging to the lower socio-economic backgrounds tend to be financially backward
and thereby do not have sufficient access to the educational institutions. This leads to the
stunting of the cognitive development of the child residing within the given societal background
(Lee and McLanahan 2015). The stunting of the cognitive development of the child, in turn,
leads to the stunting of the social development of the person as well. This is better explained by
the celebrated philosopher John Locke. The philosopher opines that the child is born with a blank
state of mind that is groomed and shaped by the circumstances and the surroundings wherein the
child is present.
Domestic Violence and Child Abuse
Th major issue that is being faced by the residents within the Australian territories refer
to the issue of the domestic violence. The term domestic violence generally refers to the violent
activities or the implementation of the other abuses within a given domestic setting. The
domestic violence is generally observed to have been practiced with the ultimate purpose of
gaining control over the people who have been linked very closely with the concerned person in

5DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS EFFECT ON AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
a familial or any other intimate relation (Britto et al. 2017). There are several types of domestic
violence that is observed within the society. The most common type of domestic violence that is
presented within the families is the development of the situations wherein one of the members of
the family exercises physical assaults over the other member of the family (Sudfeld et al. 2015).
This type of violent behavior on the part of one of the members of the family results in the
fearful atmosphere within the given family. This further creates a negative impact on the
psychological development of the children who have been witnessing the activity (Deater-
Deckard and Panneton 2017). The display of aggressive and violent activities within the family
leads to the family conditions wherein the children tend to pick up such behavior and thereby
lead to the continuation of the concerned ill-practice within the society (Keenan, Evans and
Crowley 2016). The domestic violence is further observed to be meted out in other forms as well.
They include the abusive behavior as meted out by the person inflicting the violent activity, the
intimidation of the concerned intimate partner along with the emotional abuse that is meted out
to the person (Sampson 2017). The concerned partner might also face isolation as well as verbal
abuse from the other person who has been inflicting the domestic violence. The abuse that is
meted out to the person might comprise of the abuses in terms of the economy as well as the
verbal factors. The domestic violence might also be experienced by the children of the house. In
this case the majority of the conditions, the children of the family are subjected to the violent or
abusive behavior that is meted out by generally the parents or the caregivers of the children
(Moore 2017). The children majorly face the abusive behavior due to the substance abuse as well
as the controlling behavior that is maintained by the parents or the care givers of the children.
This leads to the stunting of the development and the growth of the psyche of the child.
Impact of Domestic Violence on Child Development

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The statistics on the issue of the domestic violence within the Australian territories state
that almost 2.5 million residents of country have reportedly faced the domestic violence within
the families (Abc.net.au 2016). The indigenous Australians face greater issues in terms of the
domestic violence within the family (Ourwatch.org.au 2019). The surveys that were conducted
within the time span of a year that expired from 2015 to 2016 reveals the fact that the indigenous
children were at a higher risk of experiencing the child abuse within the family
(Domesticviolence.com.au 2019). The risk faced by the children of the Aboriginals and the
Torres Strait islanders was around seven times higher than the risk faced by the children of the
non-indigenous families within the Australian territories (Aihw.gov.au 2018).
The domestic violence that is generally found to have been taking place in the Australian
families is known to have been affecting the children in a negative manner. The child might face
great issues in the physical development. The child might get back to the various practices that
he or she had during their infancy stages. These might include the activities like bedwetting,
anxiety, signs of being in a terrified state as well as experiencing difficulty in the sleep orders
(Aph.gov.au 2019). The adolescent children tend to blame themselves for the domestic violence
which they have been witnessing at their own households (Gilbert et al. 2015). The majority of
the children who have been experiencing the domestic violence within their families tend to
demonstrate issues in their cognitive development as well. The children tend to remain in a state
of constant trauma and thus tend to have a degradation in terms of their cognitive abilities
(Monnat and Chandler 2015). The majority of the children facing the instances of domestic
violence tend to swivel into depression and anxious states of mind. This in turn might lead to
several health issues like coronary diseases, diabetes, obesity and other factors like the low levels
of self-esteem among the children who have been facing the situations of domestic violence

7DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS EFFECT ON AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
within the families (Au.reachout.com 2019). This in turn hampers the social development of the
child as well (Womenshealth.gov 2019). The children who have been witnessing the domestic
violence within the families tend to remain aloof from the society and even demonstrate
aggressive behavior towards their peers.
Recommended measures
In order to avoid the situations discussed above the families are advised to take part in the
various counselling sessions. This would help in the reduction of the issues that are presented
due to the violent nature of the partners within the familial settings. The developmental changes
in the child finally end at the stage when the child reaches his or her adulthood. The individual is
observed to have been going through the various stages that help him or her in gaining autonomy
in his life from the infant stages of dependency on the elders, majorly the caregivers. Thus, the
concerned children might further be advised to take part in the counselling sessions in order
relieve themselves of the ill-effects that they tend to pick up due to the disturbed situation within
the family. The development of the children is observed to flourish as well as get stunted due to
the social environment wherein the child has been growing. The development of the children
who have been living within the lower socio-economic background tend to be affected by the
social condition that the families face within the given social stratum. The majority of the
children belonging to the lower socio-economic backgrounds tend to be financially backward
and thereby do not have sufficient access to the educational institutions. Thus, the concerned
children might be advised to implement the education within the society. This in turn might help
in the overall development of the child as well as the society at large. The children majorly face
the abusive behavior due to the substance abuse as well as the controlling behavior that is
maintained by the parents or the care givers of the children. This leads to the stunting of the

8DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS EFFECT ON AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
development and the growth of the psyche of the child. In order to avoid these situations within
the society, the parents and the other caregivers might be advised to undertake counselling
sessions that would help them to implement a proper control on the substance abuse. This in turn
would help in the development of the social conditions as well as the uplift of the concerned
section of the society as well.
Conclusion
In lieu of the above discussion it might be stated that the domestic violence poses to be a
great issue in the development of the child from the stages of infancy to the attainment of the
adulthood. The development of the child includes the development in the physical factors, the
emotional factors, the spiritual factors, the intellectual factors and the social factors. The majority
of the development of the child is observed to be influenced by the environmental factors that are
present around the individual. The major environmental factor that affects the development of
the child is the economic class wherein the child belongs. The people belonging to the lower
economic backgrounds tend to demonstrate an extreme crudeness in their behavior towards their
fellow beings, especially the women and children. The stunting of the cognitive development of
the child, in turn, leads to the stunting of the social development of the individual. The domestic
violence is also be experienced by the children of the house. In this case the majority of the
conditions, the children of the family are subjected to the violent or abusive behavior that is
meted out by generally the parents or the caregivers of the children. The concerned children
might further be advised to take part in the counselling sessions in order relieve themselves of
the ill-effects that they tend to pick up due to the disturbed situation within the family. The
development of the children is observed to flourish as well as get stunted due to the social
environment wherein the child has been growing.

9DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS EFFECT ON AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES

10DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS EFFECT ON AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
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