Children Witnessing Domestic Violence: Support & Coping Strategies
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The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children
Table of Contents
Children Witnessing Domestic Violence Are Survivors
Domestic violence month highlights the importance of addressing the insidious yet often invisible pandemic of interpersonal violence. Whether discussing its prevalence, prosecution, or prevention, we recognize the need to protect direct victims as well as other household members who are traumatized, often both emotionally and physically: the children. Fortunately, research has identified sources of support for young victims and witnesses caught in the crossfire.
Silke Meyer in “The Impact of Domestic violence on Children” (2025) discusses both the challenges and opportunities to protect children living within abusive homes.[i] Considering the current scholarship surrounding childhood experience of domestic violence, she recognizes children witnessing domestic violence as victim-survivors in their own right, who can benefit from strategies for safety, resilience and recovery.
Meyer recognizes that children are not just observers; they are directly impacted by witnessing domestic violence in the home, sometimes on a daily basis, which can have a long-term impact on their emotional, social, and physical well-being.She also recognizes the possibility of intergenerational transmission of violence, which could manifest in the form of sibling violence or violence against parents from children. She concludes by noting that even though significant progress has been made in the response of child protection efforts within domestically abusive homes, there is a need for ongoing reform, including child-centered recovery support.
How children Cope with Witnessing Domestic Violence
As childhood exposure to domestic violence is an unfortunate reality within so many homes, researchers have also explored how some children manage to cope better than others. Jenny Tonsing (2025) explored this issue, identifying protective factors that facilitate a child’s ability to cope with exposure to domestic violence,[ii] which she describes as “a pattern of assaultive, coercive,