Potential Effects Of Domestic Violence On Family Mental Health

Domestic violence, also referred to as domestic abuse, is a pattern of aggressive and violent behavior within the home that’s used to control or overpower a partner and/or other family members. This broader term includes intimate partner violence, which is when this behavior comes from a romantic partner.

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) reports that one in four women and one in nine men will experience some type of severe intimate partner violence during their lifetime. Women between the ages of 18–24 are most likely to experience abuse by an intimate partner, though abuse can affect anyone of any gender, sexual orientation, race, age, or socioeconomic status.

Domestic violence can have a profound, often ripple-like impact on families. Below, we’ll explore some of the potential effects of domestic violence on family mental health and discuss how it can influence other areas of family life as well. 

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The potential effects of domestic abuse on family mental health

Domestic abuse can do immediate as well as long-term damage to a family’s mental health and well-being in many ways. Below are a few examples.

Psychological trauma and traumatic stress

Survivors can experience long-lasting psychological trauma as one of the effects of domestic violence, particularly after prolonged exposure. This may result in the development of mental health conditions like:

• Anxiety disorders
• Chronic depression
• Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (c-PTSD) 
• Substance use disorders
• Eating disorders
• Dissociative identity disorder

Chronic stress among the effects of domestic violence on family mental health

Living in a home where domestic violence occurs can put family members in a constant state of stress. Not only can chronic stress contribute to mental health challenges, but research also suggests that it can mean that individuals with long-term exposure to abuse are more likely to have physical health problems like high blood pressure, insomnia, and gastrointestinal issues. 

Relationship difficulties with intimate partner

Domestic violence often strains relationships between family members, friends, peers, and others outside the home, as survivors may experience challenges related to communication and trust. 

Social isolation

Feelings of shame or fear of seeking help may contribute to isolation from friends, peers, and other family members in people experiencing domestic violence. This social isolation can further impact their mental health and prevent them from connecting with critical support resources. 

Maladaptive coping mechanisms

Individuals who have been subjected to an abusive situation may develop unhealthy, maladaptive ways of coping. For example, some may use alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism, or they may dissociate or minimize the perpetrator’s responsibility for the abuse. Avoidance coping can also occur later, after an individual has left the abusive relationship—possibly resulting in social withdrawal, trust issues in healthy relationships, “sabotaging” healthy relationships, or other potentially unhealthy mechanisms. 

The co-occurrence of physical injury and emotional trauma

Physical injury and emotional trauma can impact and exacerbate each other in various ways. For example, experiencing physical violence in abusive relationships can lead to often long-lasting trauma-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The chronic stress and emotional distress that results from mental trauma can also have physical effects on the body, such as a weakened immune system, cardiovascular problems, and gastrointestinal issues. 

As another example, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by physical abuse can create lasting neurological damage, potentially affecting an individual’s mental and physical health in many ways. Similarly, studies suggest that broken bones or other physical injuries that physical abuse may cause can result in long-term chronic pain that can also increase a person’s risk of mental health challenges in the future. 

The potential impacts of domestic violence on children

Children who are exposed to domestic violence can experience significant, long-lasting effects of it in many ways—even if they don’t directly experience the abuse themselves. 

Emotional and psychological challenges

Children who witness or experience domestic abuse may have a range of emotional responses that can be distressing, confusing, and painful. For example, fear, guilt, and shame are common, each of which can have a significant impact on a child’s self-esteem and are often linked to anxiety, sadness, and anger. In other words, children exposed to abuse may experience the lasting effects of trauma, which can contribute to psychological difficulties later in life.

Behavioral problems

Children exposed to domestic violence might exhibit behavioral problems as a result, including but not limited to:

• Aggression
• Defiance
• Low frustration tolerance
• Social isolation and withdrawal
• Difficulties with impulse control
• Risk-taking or self-harming behaviors

Developmental difficulties

Children who witness domestic violence are more likely to experience developmental difficulties that can have a significant impact on the challenges they’ll face in school, social situations, and other environments requiring developmental progress to navigate. 

Additionally, several studies suggest that children exposed to abuse are more likely to have poorer cognitive functioning and verbal abilities, which can have a significant impact on their performance in school.

Children who witness intimate partner violence may also have trouble paying attention and developing relationships with peers and adults, and they’re more likely to experience a distorted perception or sense of self. 

Risk of perpetuation

Children who witness domestic violence may have an increased risk of experiencing abuse at the hands of a partner or perpetuating the cycle of violence in their own relationships in the future. 

Other potential mental health effects of abuse 

Abuse in the home often has a cascading effect on other elements of life that can dramatically influence a family’s mental health and well-being. 

For example, domestic violence can lead to social isolation and instability in relationships outside of the home. It can create economic strain on the family due to financial abuse, medical bills, legal costs, and/or potential loss of income. Domestic violence can also impact educational achievements, potentially affecting an individual’s ability to learn skills needed to find and maintain gainful employment. 

Types and examples of domestic abuse

While domestic abuse is most often associated with physical violence, it can take many different forms. Regardless of the method, abusive behaviors frequently escalate with time. Below are some different types of domestic abuse and examples of how they may present. Recognizing abuse can be the first step toward seeking help.

Physical abuse

This type of abuse involves the use of physical force to harm a partner or family member. Examples include:

• Hitting
• Kicking
• Slapping
• Punching
• Choking
• Burning
• Using weapons to inflict harm

In some cases, physical abuse may also take the form of damaging a family member's personal property, controlling their ability to seek medical care, coercing them into substance misuse, or hurting a family member’s pet.

Emotional or psychological abuse

Emotional abuse, also sometimes referred to as psychological or mental abuse, involves behaviors intended to manipulate and control a partner’s emotions. Some examples include:

• Verbal insults
• Threats/intimidation
• Gaslighting
• Manipulation
• Isolation from family and friends
• Extreme jealousy
• Shaming/humiliating

For example, emotional abusers may insist on tightly controlling where a partner goes and what they do, or they might “set up” a family member for abuse by shaming or humiliating them in public or social situations. 

In some cases, abusers might assume emotional control over their partners or other family members by threatening to “out” them to their families and loved ones, have them deported if they are undocumented, or maliciously expose information about them without their consent. 

Sexual abuse

This involves any non-consensual sexual activity engaged in through force, pressure, or coercion, such as:

• Rape
• Sexual assault
• Forced sexual acts
• Withholding sex as a form of control
• Demanding sex acts even though the partner is unable or unwilling
• Engaging in sexual activities while the individual is unconscious, intoxicated, or otherwise can’t provide meaningful consent

Sexual abusers may use sexual or physical violence to take out their anger or frustration or exert control. They might use shame, guilt, fear, threats, intimidation, or manipulation to force a partner into having sex.

Financial abuse

Financial abuse involves controlling or limiting a partner’s ability to connect with economic resources such as money, bank accounts, or employment. Financial abusers might withhold money, prevent a partner from working, force them to hand over their paycheck, or fraudulently use their identity to obtain loans or credit cards, often at the expense of the individual’s credit rating. 

Digital abuse

Some abusers use technology to control, intimidate, threaten, or harass a partner. For example, they might monitor their phone or social media activity, send threatening or harassing messages, or use GPS tracking to monitor their location to facilitate abuse. Abusers may also use social media and other vehicles for internet presence to defame, shame, mock, or humiliate their partners.

Stalking

Stalkers repeatedly follow, monitor, or harass a person in a way that causes fear and intimidation. For example, they may show up uninvited, send unwanted gifts or messages, or loiter near the person’s home or workplace. 

Challenges in finding support and recovery

It’s often difficult for individuals in domestic violence situations to seek or receive the help they need. There are many reasons why survivors may not reach out for help: 

• It may be too dangerous or risky; the survivor may fear retaliation from their abuser
• In some cases, friends, family, co-workers, peers, or neighbors may not believe them 
• Survivors might be financially dependent on their partners, so leaving could mean they’d no longer be able to afford basic necessities or have a place to live
• There may be language barriers preventing a survivor from getting help in the country where they currently reside
• Abusers sometimes “wear down” their targets until they experience emotional and cognitive fatigue, making it harder to get help 
• Stigma and stereotypes surrounding abuse can deter individuals in or coming from abusive situations from reaching out for help

Are you experiencing the effects of family trauma?

Work toward healing in therapy

Seeking support and recovery

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, resources like the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the US Department of Health and Human Services provide information on how to create a safety plan, find local safe spaces and health centers, get legal help, and get contact information for mental health professionals experienced in supporting abuse survivors. 

A person who is or was in an abusive situation can often benefit from seeking therapy as well. A therapist trained in trauma-informed care can offer emotional support, strategies for processing past experiences, and help developing healthy coping mechanisms. If symptoms of a mental health condition are present, they can also support the individual in addressing these. 

It often takes time, patience, consistent trauma-informed care, and a strong support system for family members to work toward psychologically recovering from domestic abuse, but healing is possible.

For those who aren’t able to travel to and from in-person appointments or who don’t feel comfortable speaking about their experiences with someone face to face, online therapy can be an alternative worth exploring. With BetterHelp, you can schedule online therapy sessions at your convenience, which you can attend remotely via phone, video call, and/or in-app messaging. Virtual therapy sessions are easier to attend and often more affordable than conventional therapy without insurance coverage. Plus, research suggests that online therapy can be as effective as in-person sessions in many cases.