Malaise of Domestic Violence: Scarring Children’s Well Being

Home is where the heart is, so goes the saying. But what happens when children are exposed to domestic violence at home – is the theme of this paper .To what extent is their psychological wellbeing affected when they have grown up witnessing  their fathers hurling verbal abuses to their mothers by yelling, shouting screaming and making the home environment a haven of silent terrorism , has been discussed here. A review of current researches on the effect of children’s exposure to domestic violence in the home with focus on studies that examine general effects of witnessing domestic violence, the presence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms and long term effects of adult functioning of witnessing a domestic violence during adulthood. The researchers suggest a strong correlation between witnessing father’s abusive behavior towards their mothers and risk for behavioral problems, developing PTSD symptoms and low self esteem. There is plenty of research evidence which show a positive high correlation between witnessing of domestic violence as children bearing negative consequences during adulthood. The present paper discusses the malaise and the clinical implications for future research are also discussed.