Some of the impacts of exposure to domestic violence among children are as follows:
Emotional
- Confusion about conflicting feelings toward parents
- Fear of abandonment, or expressing emotions, the unknown or personal injury
- Terror over the constant threat of danger, both for the parent who is meant to keep them safe and also for themselves
- Anger
- Depression and feelings of helplessness and powerlessness
- Embarrassment and shame
Behavioral
- Acting out or withdrawing
- Aggressive or passive behavior
- Refusing to go to school
- Care taking; acting as a parent substitute
- Bed-wetting and nightmares
- Dissociation/withdrawal
Social
- Isolation from friends and relatives
- Poor anger management and problem solving skills
- Excessive social involvement to avoid home
- Identification with the aggressor: the use of verbal and physical threat to control relationships
- Difficulty in trusting, especially adults
- Engaged in exploitative relationships as perpetrator or victim
Physical
- Somatic complaints, headaches and stomachaches
- Nervous, anxious, short attention span
- Frequently ill
- Regression in development (i.e. having potty accidents after having been potty trained)
- Tired and lethargic
(http://www.acadv.org/warning-signs/how-domestic-violence-affects-children/)
