Domestic Violence Counseling Manual - Hot Peach Pages

• Change in sexual activity (severe increase or decrease, sex can trigger flashbacks)
• Change in Relationships (decrease in trust of others, decrease in contact with friends and
family, loss of confidence and self-esteem)
PHYSICAL AFTER-EFFECTS OF ABUSE
• Serious injuries (i.e. broken bones, fractures, sprains, burns, cuts, concussions, lacerations,
contusions, bites, perforated eardrums)
• Infections (anal, vaginal, pelvic)
• Dizziness, numbness
• Permanent disabilities (i.e. asthma, belly pain, muscle pain, irritable bowel syndrome)
• Miscarriages, unwanted pregnancies
• STDs, HIV/AIDS
• Death
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE CHILD
We know much about woman abuse. We know much about child abuse. But if we are to seriously
address either one, we must recognize the links between these two forms of domestic violence. While
one form of abuse can certainly occur without the other, the tragic reality is that anytime a mother is
abused by her husband/partner, her children may also be affected in both overt and subtle ways, such as:
• Seeing, hearing, and sensing the abuse
• Confusion, stress, and fear
• Feeling guilty that they can’t protect her
• Feeling responsible, or that they are the reason she is being beaten
• Being abused or neglected themselves
• Headaches, ulcers, bedwetting, sleep disorders, abdominal pain
• Sons are more likely to abuse their future wives, and the daughters more likely to be abused by
their future husbands
• Constant anxiety and stress about their mother’s well-being
• Thumb-sucking, excessive clinginess
• Speech impediments
• Worry and uncertainty about their future
• Disinterestedness in their future, goals, or having self-control
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