Domestic violence against women and children : An exploration of the impact of this experience on the life of a child

The impact of the experience of domestic violence on a child's life was explored in this investigation. Although there has been a great amount of research conducted in relation to domestic violence, the majority of these studies focus on the effects of this experience in relation to the parent. There has been less consideration given to the impact on children. Therefore, this is one of the reasons as to why the aim of this study was acquired. The objective of this research was to offer an effective insight into the standard of living of these individuals from their experiences. An aspiration of the investigation was to inform future practice in this area in order for appropriate support structures to be accounted for. A qualitative research paradigm was applied for the purpose of collecting an understanding of the elements of these individuals' life that are affected. In exploring the impact, the health, development and education of a child were all accounted for. Furthermore, the age and gender factors that influence the discussed effects were also recognised as well as the factors that can either have a positive or a negative affect on the experience. Purposive sampling was the method used in order for the characteristics of the sample population to be employed as a way of selection. This was dependent on the professional expertise within the area of domestic violence. Semi-structured interviews were chosen as the conduction of data collection. Thematic analysis was the format used to process the interviews. From this analysis, four main themes emerged. These included influencing factors relating to children's reactions to domestic violence, behavioural and emotional reactions that children have to domestic violence and the impact on schooling, the impact of domestic abuse on children's relationships and supports to help children's experience of this abuse. Implications arose as a consequence of the study findings. It was evident that there is a need for additional services to intervene appropriately in order to allow for children to have positive outcomes during their time as a child and consequently as an adult. This could be achieved by encouraging the appropriate services to implement prevention and intervention procedures to safeguard children in need of protection from domestic abuse, as outlined in one theme from the findings. This would aim to increase awareness of domestic violence and its huge effect on children