Pre-natal:
Studies show a much higher rate of miscarriages
among woman who are battered while they are pregnant than woman who are not.
It is also believed that severe battering can be responsible for some birth
defects and or malformations of the fetus.
Infants:
Battering and domestic violence need not take place directly upon the
infant in order to affect them. Just by being subjected to the type of
environment in which there may be frequent fighting, yelling, arguing and or
screaming causes excessive crying and irritability, sleep disturbance, digestive
problems.
Toddlers & Preschoolers:
It can cause children who witness it to be more aggressive than other
children or more withdrawn than other children; difficulty learning, delays in
verbal development, poor motor skills, general fearfulness, anxiety, stomach
aches, nightmares; lack of bowel and bladder control in children over 3 years of
age, lack of confidence to begin new tasks.
Elementary & Middle School
Aged Children:
Poor grades, or in special classes (SLD, EH), failure on one or more
grade levels; poor social skills, low self esteem, general aggressiveness,
violent outbursts of anger, bullying or withdrawn, dependent, bed wetting,
nightmares.
Teenagers & Young adults:
Poor grades, failure in school, quits school altogether, low self esteem,
refuses to bring friends home, stays away from home or feels responsible to take
care of home and mother, runaway, violent outbursts of anger, destroying
property, poor judgment, irresponsible decision making, unable to communicate
feelings, immaturity, withdrawn, few friends, nightmares, bed wetting, dating
violence and joins in on physical abuse with parent.
