An investigative study on the impact of domestic violence on child mental health

Abstract

Background: Sri Lanka, a South Asian country, is currently facing various challenges. Among these, domestic violence can be identified as a major challenge arising within the family environment. Anyone exposed to domestic violence can suffer physical, mental, or emotional harm. This tragic situation occurring within the family environment can be shown to cause extreme trauma to children. Young and older children who experience domestic violence suffer emotionally, mentally, and socially harmful situations, which greatly affect child development. Accordingly, the research problem is what kind of impact domestic violence has on child mental health. The aim of this research is to examine the impact of domestic violence on children's mental health. In this way, domestic violence causes profound psychological effects on children, leading to long-term emotional, cognitive, and behavioral disturbances. Exposure to family conflict and violence can cause children to experience anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and difficulties in forming healthy relationships. Method: This research was conducted as a quantitative and qualitative study under a mixed-method approach. The questionnaire method was used for data collection. Results: This study concludes that domestic violence has complex and long-term effects on children's mental health, leading to an increased risk of mental disorders, impaired social development, various problems related to the child's socialization process, and impaired personality development. Suggestions: Based on the conclusions of this study, the following are recommended to protect the mental health of children subjected to domestic violence: Improving access to mental health services, creating a safe environment, family and community support, legal and policy reforms, improving parent-child relationships, focusing on providing psychological counseling for children, and education and awareness are suggested.