The effects of domestic violence on the mother-child relationship

Abstract

There has already been a considerable amount of research (such as Arriaga & Capezza (2005); Walker (2000); Baker & Cunningham (2004); and Vincent & Jouriles (2000)), which have shown the effects on domestic violence both on the mother and her children. However, this research aims to explore the effects of domestic violence on the mother-child relationship. This study will gain some insights concerning what causes the strengthening and/or the weakening of the mother-child bond as a result to the domestic violence. This study utilised a qualitative research design in order to address the research purpose. In-depth standardised open-ended interviews were conducted with six participants. The sample included abused mothers who have intimate partner violence and who had sought refuge in a domestic violence shelter. The interviews were targeted to explore the effects of domestic violence on both the mother and her child/children from the point of view of the former. In addition, this study explored the effects of the domestic violence on the mother-child relationship and attachment patterns. The results indicated that both the mother and her child/children tend to suffer from immediate and long-term negative effects of domestic violence. The most common negative effects that abused women tend to suffer include helplessness, low self-esteem, anxiety, and constant fear. On the other hand, this study revealed that domestic violence tend to affect the holistic development of children, that is, their physical, cognitive, behavioural, and emotional functioning. In addition, this study reported that although both the abused mother and her child/children tend to experience negative effects as a result to the abuse, domestic violence does not always result in the weakening of the mother-child relationship. In fact, only half of the respondents reported that the abuse had resulted in the deterioration of such relationship. In contrast, the other half reported that the abuse had positively affected and strengthened the mother-child relationship. One of the aims of this study is to increase awareness about the effects of domestic violence on the mother-child bond since not much research has been dedicated to such an issue. Moreover, another aim of this research is to encourage social work agencies to forward services, which target the mother and child simultaneously.