When the community fails to offer protection and support, children also feel undervalued and worthless. Children may express these emotions as withdrawal, low self-esteem, nightmares, regressive behavior, or aggression against peers, family members, and property. Child witnesses of domestic violence often suffer physical problems, such as bed wetting, insomnia, colds, and diarrhea. Children often suffer developmental delays in verbal, cognitive, and motor abilities when they live in homes with domestic violence. Learning disabilities are common.
Domestic violence disrupts children's lives .
School performance may suffer if the child is distracted or tries to remain at home to protect the mother. Children's living arrangements are often disrupted when a parent is fleeing the abuser. Moving to unfamiliar surroundings can add to the stress. Children and their mothers may suffer financially when they flee the abusive parent. Child witnesses are at risk of getting hurt when they are trying to stop the violence or are accidentally caught in the midst of it.