Forms of Violence and Their Impact on Child Development

Introduction 

A peaceful atmosphere is the desire of every individual. It is in such an environment that happiness and development is realized. In addition, individuals get an opportunity to live in harmony and to explore their talents for the betterment of the society. Nevertheless, this is not the case since the world is experiencing a period of senseless violence. With the continued spread of terrorism, the evident development of racism and police brutality, there is a lot of violence in the modern world. In a study conducted by Falk and Hildebolt (2017), they identified that the modern world is no less violent than the previous rates recorded in history. The study identified that with the increase in population numbers and sizes, there is a parallel increase in the death rates of people; this has been attributed to the continued development and innovation of weapons and military strategies which are associated with life (Falk & Hildebolt, 2017). Dwyer and Nettelbeck (2017) suggest that it is more dangerous growing up in this society than it has been in any other society in the past. The continued rise in the rates of violence adds worry over the development of children within these societies. More children are being subjected to violent events as the society continued to grow. These events span, not only in the home environment but also in the external environment (Nelson, 2011). This paper considers the presence of these violent events within the environment of the child and argues that there is a way in which children can be raised and survive through a violent world.

Violence according to the dictionary is defined as a behaviour which involves physical force which is intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. Hewer (2014) states that violence is one of the most widespread and inexplicable forms of human behaviour. Many people who commit violence and any forms of abuse within the family setting may be familiar. However, many other acts of violence are conducted by strangers within the society. The occurrence of violence may be once or may happen on several different occasions. Violence in the society is not only in one form; rather, there are several other forms of violence. It is conducted to establish power or control over the people who are involved. For this purpose, children who experience any form of violence have a lasting effect from the violence. There is a risk to children being exposed to any forms of violence within the society. In his study Hewer (2014), stated that violence has an effect on the early life of children and may ultimately lead to the development of antisocial behaviour in children in later life. In this manner, the child’s development process is altered due to the occurrence of violence.

Analysis of Forms of Violence and their Impact on Child Development 

In defining violence, there is a generalization on what violence is according to the different definitions offered. It is considered as anything that can cause physical harm. However, violence does not only exist in physical form, but also in other forms. For this purpose, there is a need to define forms of violence and their impact on the development and mental health of a child. In the world today, there are six distinct forms of violence. These are physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and cultural (Government of Newfoundland, 2018). Foster and Brooks-Gunn (2011) identified that each of the different forms of violence has a resulting impact on the development of the child. The impact can be either long-lasting or short-lived depending on the type of violence they were exposed to. It is thus important to consider each of these forms of violence and their effects on the growth and development of the child. It is from this analysis that the research can determine whether children can properly develop in a violence-filled society.

Physical Violence 

Physical violence occurs when someone uses their body or an object to control a person’s action or to harm them. It is considered to be the most prevalent and evident form of violence (Government of Newfoundland, 2018). A child may be exposed to either domestic, community or political violence. In domestic violence, the child experiences or witnesses’ violence within their homes between their parents, siblings or other members of the family. In community violence, a child may experience or witness violence that is occurring between different people within the community. For instance, there is a sharp increase in the number of gang-related killings in the USA. Different children have witnessed the shooting, killing or injury of many people within the community (Foster & Brooks-Gunn, 2011). Additionally, there is also a sharp increase in the number of school-related shootings within the USA. Children are exposed to physical violence due to unrest between different cultures and religions. Each child who has been a survivor or a victim of a school shooting has experienced physical violence (Foster & Brooks-Gunn, 2011).

Each of these forms of violence, whether they are indirect or direct have a detrimental effect on the growth and development of the child. Children can showcase both internal and external struggles while trying to cope with the occurrence of such events (Foster & Brooks-Gunn, 2011). The occurrence of physical violence against children is the highest in the US compared to records in the past. Currently, there are about 25% of children in the United States have been exposed to this form of violence. In their study, Foster and Brooks-Gunn (2011) identified that victimization of children had stronger effects on them than witnessing physical violence. Many of the children who had experienced this form of violence were recorded to grapple with internalizing the information they had witnessed or experienced and in their later teenage years externalized their feelings either through physical violence or the development of mental and psychological issues (Foster & Brooks-Gunn, 2011).

Sexual Violence 

Sexual violence occurs when a person is forced to take part in a sexual activity which they are not willing to take part (Government of Newfoundland, 2018). Within the society currently, there has been a steep increase in the number of sexual violence cases (Waechter & Ma, 2015). Currently, in the United States, sexual violence is an issue that continues to rise within the US (Waechter & Ma, 2015). Waechter and Ma (2015) stated that the significant amount of sexual violence which occurs in the United States can be classified as child abuse as many of the victims underwent this traumatic event while they were still young. The study continued to focus on the development of the children and stated that many of these children grew up with physical, mental or psychological disabilities due to the occurrence of such events (Waechter & Ma, 2015). The study considered the impact of sexual violence on women and stated that many of the women grow up to be at a greater risk of developing mental health problems (Waechter & Ma, 2015). They are also at risk of developing physical health issues, such as increased friability of vaginal tissue, immune dysfunction, infectious diseases among other problems (Waechter & Ma, 2015). For the male children, the effects were more long-lasting. They also faced challenges in physical development, mental health and psychological issues. These men ended having more trouble integrating within the society than their female companions who had been subjected to sexual violence. Russell (2007) stated that sexual violence among male children is common in war-torn areas, in the society and families; however, there is very little information that is shared regarding the prevalence of it among these different areas. This makes it very difficult for male children to grow up healthy and ultimately alters their whole development process.

Sexual violence also has an impact on children who witness its occurrence. In a study conducted by Devries et al. (2017), he states that many children who witness sexual violence in their homes or other areas within the society are more likely to experience maltreatment in other areas as they grow up (Devries et al., 2017). Studies that have been conducted in high-income states shows that many children who have been witnesses of intimate partner violence have a higher likelihood to experience other forms of violence (Devries et al., 2017).

Psychological and Emotional Violence 

Psychological violence is defined as the use of threats and intimidation to cause fear in a person and gain control over them (Government of Newfoundland, 2018). This type of violence is observed where a person threatens to harm another person, his or her family or themselves, when a person threatens to abandon, verbal abuse, social isolation of a person, withholding affection or the use of undue pressure in order to gain control over them (Government of Newfoundland, 2018).

There is a sharp increase in the development of psychological violence within different homes. In many cases, this violence occurs between the parents. The father continually uses either harsh words or insults to gain control over their spouse, or in other cases, where the parents considerably withhold affection for a child or with each other. Lewin, Horn, Valentine, Sanders-Phillips and Joseph (2010) state that the occurrence of psychological violence within the home risks the adequate development of a child who witnesses the events within the home. In other cases, where the child is being subjected to psychological violence, their mental health is continually compromised, and they may grow up having poor self-esteem issues, social and communication skills, psychological damage or other effects resulting from the abuse they experienced as children. In either case, teenagers may consider themselves unwanted and often opt to commit suicide and other harsh measures.

Emotional Violence occurs when a person says or does something to make the other person feel stupid or worthless. It may involve calling of names, blaming all of your problems on the person, use of the silent treatment, discontinuing contact of family and friends from the person, humiliating or intimidating the person, threatening to hurt or abandon the person and so forth. Emotional violence goes hand in hand with physical violence as it shares the same mental and psychological effects of psychological violence.

Psychological and emotional violence does not only occur within the confines of the home. In the world today, children are exposed to the use of many different forms of media and technology. These platforms allow them to interact with many other children and persons outside of their immediate family. Cyberbullying is a common form of emotional and psychological violence that is utilized to gain control or intimidate a person or a child. The continued exposure to this kind of violence has a considerable effect on the mental health and growth of the child.

Spiritual/Religious and Cultural Violence 

Spiritual violence occurs when someone uses a person’s spiritual beliefs to manipulate, dominate or control the person (Government of Newfoundland, 2018). In the current society, many events have fostered the hostile development of emotions towards a particular religion and ultimately causes spiritual violence to persons belonging in that religion. For instance, the occurrence of 9/11 and other terrorist attacks have consequently led to the development of hostility towards people of the Arab or Muslim community. In the past, there have been continued increases in the number of political violence cases that are occurring between the government and a particular ethnic group (Dwyer & Nettelbeck, 2017). Effects of spiritual violence on children are far-reaching as they may be coupled with all other forms of violence. Children who experience spiritual violence may be permanently affected, physically, mentally and psychologically. In a research study conducted by Glew, Bhanji and VanderJagt (2003) on the effects of displacement resulting from ethnic/religious conflicts on the growth of children in northern Nigeria, he identified that the children were mentally and psychologically affected (Glew et al., 2003).

Cultural violence occurs when a person is subjected to harm because of practices that are part of their culture, religion or tradition. The effects of cultural violence are similar to those of religious violence. Children who are subjected to these kinds of violence have a hard time grasping their identity, accepting their background, and grapple with mental and psychological issues (Lewin et al., 2010).

Impact of these Forms of Violence on Children and Treatment Required 

The exposure to violence has its effects. For children who are exposed to high levels of violence, regardless of the form of violence, they are prone to develop high levels of depression, anger and anxiety. These children could have been either witnesses or victims of these forms of violence (Flannery, 2006). For children who have witnessed physical violence, i.e. someone being slapped, punched or, being hit, they were reported to exhibit higher levels of anxiety that required treatment. The same results are shown of children who witnessed, were told of or heard about the occurrence of physical violence that was a result of religious, community or cultural conflict, they continue to exhibit high levels of anxiety after the events have occurred for a period not lasting less than three weeks (Flannery, 2006). For instance, when 9/11 occurred, a study that was conducted on children in grades three to eight who had witnessed the terrorist attack showed that nearly 30% of the children had higher levels of anxiety (Dwyer & Nettelbeck, 2017). Exposure to violence also has a long-term impact on children; these include the children being desensitised to violence and ultimately indulging in the same behaviour, they had witnessed or experienced. These children may also exhibit high levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms that may be problematic if they are left untreated. These children ultimately become more aggressive towards others and are unable to associate well with other children (Flannery, 2006).

For children who are exposed to violence through media technology, they develop aggression and violent behaviour. These children may also end up showing lower levels of empathy and compassion towards others (Flannery, 2006). Ultimately, children who experience violence through these media technologies, and not limited to television and the internet, but also violent phone games, may come to have a distorted view of the world. They may consider the world to be a place where violence is constant, and there is little anyone can do to guarantee their safety; this leads to the creation of a fantasy world which can affect their growth and development (Flannery, 2006).

Treatment Options 

Even though many children are constantly exposed to violence within the society, there is still hope to ensure that these children can grow and develop healthily. Parents need to act fast to guarantee the recovery of children who have either witnessed or been a part of violent situations. The first factor parents need to be aware of is what their children are exposed to in the media. Parents need to monitor and be aware of what their children are watching and doing while on the internet when watching television, or which games they play (Waechter & Ma, 2015). This ensures that they can minimize the exposure to violence and guarantee their children’s health and mental safety where media exposure is concerned. A lot of parents are oblivious of the current span of technology; this is a problem as children are exposed to all manner of violence on the internet. For instance, they have access to videos of physical, cultural and religious, sexual and emotional violence. The continued exposure to this material may ultimately affect how they relate to other children belonging to different cultures or religious backgrounds. When a child shows hostile behaviour towards another child, it is important to identify the mindset they may have regarding that other child and seek treatment where necessary.

Parents are often the first to recognize when their child is grappling with mental health issues. In this case, parents should consult a therapist or psychologist who will be in a position to address the various problems the child is facing. In many cases, children are often afraid of telling the truth where they have been victims of violence, especially when it is sexual violence. This may be because they fear being punished or blamed for what has happened, judged or, have been threatened and thus, think they are protecting their family members from the perpetrators of such violence. Parents must be open and willing to support the children during this stage. They must not show any signs of impatience or withhold affection as this may alter the treatment process of the child. Parents must maintain an environment of love, care and support which will foster the complete healing of the child.

Conclusion 

The reality of the spread of violence can be alarming to families that are yet to have and raise children. For parents, there is a need to ensure vigilance in parenting. Even though there are many violent situations that children face on a daily basis, parents, teachers and guardians are faced with the responsibility of ensuring the treatment and recovery of these children. In a society that continually suffers due to violence, children are at risk of being permanently affected and their development process damaged. In many cases, violence exposed to these children may hinder their overall mental, physical or psychological development. However, with the advancement of technology, medicine and continued research in psychological treatment, there is hope for children to develop in a society that is faced with violence, where they can access expert care and can fully recover from their ordeals. It is also the responsibility of the society to provide a safe atmosphere for the nurturing of the children. In such a case, families should be responsible for taking care of the children and parents, in particular, are required to ensure that their children have a safe environment for their growth. The administration, on the other hand, should support the family unit by proving guidance through policy making to bring down any forms of violence directing towards children. This would help the children to have a bright future that would bring about development.

References

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