Friday, October 25, 2013

How Domestic Violence Affects Children (and What We Can do to Help)

The following facts were compiled by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) in the Information Packet: Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence:
 
The maltreatment of children and violence against women often go hand in hand.  As many as half a million children may be encountered by police during domestic violence arrests [each year].  There is an overlap of 30 to 60 percent between violence against children and violence against women in the same families.  (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Safe from the start: taking action on children exposed to violence. (November 2000).  Publication No. NCJ182789) Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.)

Research indicates that males exposed to domestic violence as children are more likely to engage in domestic violence as adults, and females are more likely to be victims as adults.  (Whitfield, 2003)
 
Children who witness domestic violence and are physically abused are at risk for increased levels of emotional and psychological maladjustment than children who only witness violence and are not abused (Carlson, 2000; Edleson, 1999; Hughes et al, 2001).
 
Children who live with domestic violence face increased risks:  the risk of exposure to traumatic events, the risk of neglect, the risk of being directly abused, and the risk of losing one or both of their parents.  All of these may lead to negative outcomes for children and may affect their wellbeing, safety, and stability (Carlson, 2000; Edleson, 1999; Rossman, 2001).

The Domestic Violence Resource Center has compiled this list of ways DV can affect children.
 
Children and Domestic Violence
 
Every child has different coping mechanisms and will react differently to violence. The following is a list of commonly identified feelings and behaviors of children who have been exposed to domestic violence.
 
1. FEELING
 
Fear of:
  • violence
  • father / all men
  • abandonment
  • night time

Anger at:
  • father / other men
  • mother (for not preventing violence)
  • self (for being unable to protect mom)
Guilt for:
  • the violence. Children are egocentric, so they feel responsible for and guilty about the violence.
  • being disloyal to family and friends
  • having negative feelings about one or both parents
Confusion:
  • Conflict over feelings toward the parents.
  • Unpredictable reactions from adults lead the child to be unable to trust them.
  • Belief that relationships equal violence.
Learning disabilities
  • Lack of emotional stability at home inhibits learning.
  • Fixation at the developmental level at which trauma occurred.
2. BEHAVIOR
  • withdrawal
  • exaggerated attention-seeking
  • negative reactions to men
  • separation anxiety
  • bedtime fears
  • school phobia
  • acting out
  • aggression
  • swearing
  • age-inappropriate temper tantrums
  • self-fulfilling prophecy: the belief that “I’m bad.” leads to acting out, which leads to punishment, which reinforces the belief
  • loss of motivation at school
  • low self-esteem because of believing that “It’s my fault I got hit.”
  • ambivalent behavior
  • testing adults
  • confused belief systems
  • inability to concentrate at school
  • sleepiness due to staying awake at night
  • regressive behaviors
3. SURVIVAL SKILLS
  • strong resilience
  • maturity
  • well-developed sense of responsibility
  • bonds between siblings
  • unusual sensitivity
  • rejection of violent behavior
So  . . . How do we as foster parents or caregivers or teachers (or whatever the case may be) help support the children in our care who have experienced domestic violence?

I have learned a few simple things:

1)  Use a "we" message when setting expectations about home/school rules.
2) Validate the child's feelings if they act aggressively.
3)  Offer alternatives to aggression.
4)  Be sensitive to raising your voice.

Here's an example or two for using each of these tips:

1)  Use a "we" message when setting expectations about home (or school) rules.
 
I admit that sometimes my first instinct when any of our foster children have acted out aggressively is to say. "Hey- Stop That!"  or "Don't Hit Her!" 

Children coming from an environment of domestic violence already have enough SHAME to deal with, so rather than using an accusatory, blaming tone with them (which will just make them feel worse) try setting boundaries but explaining that this is a rule which applies to everyone in the household or classroom- not just them. 
 
For example, rather than saying, "You're not allowed to hit in this house" calmly but firmly explain  "We don't hit in this house."  And "we" means everyone- parents and children.  Otherwise there would be a huge double standard.  Give concrete examples if that's easier for younger children to understand, such as, "In our home, Daddies don't hit mommies, mommies don't hit daddies, mommies and daddies don't hit or yell at children, children don't hit/bite/kick mommies and daddies or other children."
 
2) Validate the child's feelings if they act aggressively.
 
As noted in the "Feelings" Section of the DVRC Children and Domestic Violence List above, children coming from domestic violence can understandably have a lot of anger issues.  Anger in itself isn't bad, but it's what the child does with those angry feelings which can be harmful.  In addition, children may not know how to react to anger or frustration or feeling insecure without resorting to aggression* if that's all they've been shown from the adults in their lives.  Validate the child's feelings rather than shaming them and then redirect their actions.
 
* Children's brains aren't fully developed (Duh- Thanks for the News Flash!) so they are bound to be more immature than adults when dealing with conflict by resorting to name-calling or hitting or throwing a temper tantrum when they don't get their way or become stressed.  Basically, they're acting with the "primitive" parts of their brain and have not yet learned to engage in more peaceful ways of conflict resolution or to deal with upsetting emotions and situations proactively.  What is even more troubling is children who also suffer the effects of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and/or drug exposure and who thus have a biological predisposition to struggle with impulse control because of their impaired brain development in addition to suffering from the damaging effects of domestic violence from a purely socialization standpoint.  In other words, as if the "nurture" effects of domestic violence aren't enough, some individuals have additional "nature" or biological factors which compound the gravity of their situation.  Does that make sense?
 
Validating statements might include:

 "Wow- you're really angry right now, aren't you?"  or
"I can sense you're getting frustrated."  or
"Can you help me to understand why you're so upset?"

There's no need to even analyze their feelings or break into a mini counseling session afterwards (which I, for one, might be tempted to do by nature) but sometimes just the act of validating their feelings is enough for the child to separate their actions from their feelings and feel somewhat "understood" by an adult who shows concern.
 
Another plus of validating feelings of anger in the child is that "anger" is one of those emotions which can often be used to mask other feelings such as hurt or fear.  If a child begins to feel validated by a trusted adult, they are more likely to open up or explore their underlying feelings which is much more productive or healthy than, say. lashing out on others or withdrawing,
 
3)  Offer alternatives to aggression. 
 
This suggestion goes hand in hand with the previous one.  First, let the child know that it's okay to be angry, but it's not okay to hit/bite/scream at others, etc. 

THEN, offer an alternative to getting their energy out. 
 
 "Do you want to jump on the trampoline?" 

 "Are you so angry that you feel like hitting something?  Let's hit your pillow or see how far you can throw or kick this ball!" 

 (Another reason why contact and group sports are a fabulous outlet for at-risk kids or ANY kids for that matter!)
 
4)  Be sensitive to raising your voice.
 
Many people coming from a situation of violence, abuse, or trauma are bound to be a little more sensitive to raised voices or escalated noises- even to the point of being considered "hyper vigilant" in their reactions.  Remember- the only group of people shown to have higher rates of PTSD than veterans are children in foster care!   What a sad finding- nobody's home life should be as traumatic as a war zone, but the psychological effects can be eerily similar.
 
This may seem like a silly example, but I vividly remember one day when my husband raised his voice to me (not because he was yelling at me or trying to be mean, but because we were a bit rushed with our schedules and he was trying to remind me to hurry and get in the shower and get ready).  My husband's raised voice didn't seem like a big deal to me, nor did I take it personally- but I could immediately sense a physiological change in our foster baby- who was only an infant at the time.  Some may say that her reaction was just a coincidence or that any child would have reacted that way, but when we thought about the things she may have heard and seen from her family background (we had a fairly good idea- but certainly not the whole story)  it was a good reminder to be careful when raising our voices- no matter the reason.
 
Any other tips on helping children to deal with or preventing domestic violence?

Saturday, October 19, 2013

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

This week as I took Jack and Jill to their weekly supervised visit with their parents I pulled up to a bright purple sign in front of the DCFS building which read "OCTOBER IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH."

I found the sign highly ironic (and sad) considering that the babies would actually only be meeting with one of their parents for their visit that day since the other parent was put in jail over the weekend for . . .  you guessed it: a domestic violence incident.

Yes, not only is October National Breast Cancer Awareness month but it is Domestic Violence Awareness Month as well.


When I think about it, I would estimate that 90% of our foster placements have come from families where domestic violence was involved.  Furthermore, do you know what else those 90% of placements have had in common?   They have all had parents struggling with drug addiction. I think that's not a coincidence.

Mind you, I'm not saying that anyone who uses any type of drug will automatically beat their family members and become violent, but I definitely believe that certain types of drugs- meth in particular- produce such dangerous side effects such as violence, paranoia, and aggression that it seems it's not just by chance that users are at a huge risk for becoming violent towards family members and those closest to them. In other words, meth use and domestic violence seem to be causative in their relationship rather than correlative.

Case in Point #1 from my experiences fostering:

Of the 90% of children we've fostered (basically all but one) who have come from a background of drug exposure AND domestic violence methamphetamines was the children's parent's drug of choice. In at least two of these cases (that I'm aware of) the domestic violence escalated to the point of the mothers having to seek safety in a domestic violence shelter.

Case in Point # 2 from my experiences fostering:

About a month into our very first placement when we were fostering 3 year old "Justin" we were able to look extensively at his parent's files- including their criminal background records- since we were told by his caseworker that we would most likely be adopting him (ha!) and thus we were privy to as much information about his background as possible. While I was looking through his parent's files (one of whom had been placed in foster care as a child and hence had a longer recordable history with the state) I was struck by the number of D.V. incidences the police reports and mental health assessments recorded.  And lest anyone assume that the male is always the instigator in cases of domestic violence, I discovered that it wasn't solely Justin's father who became violent but both parents towards each other.

I remember Justin's caseworker telling me something which really struck me: "Yes, they have a lot of DV incidents on their records but they didn't actually become violent in their relationship until AFTER they started heavily using meth." I might also add that one of the mug shots I saw of Justin's mother was almost unrecognizable to me compared to the young woman I would see at his weekly visits.  Justin's mother no longer looked haggard looking or as "hardened" as she did in her booking photo and she was definitely at a much healthier weight than she had previously been. Mind you, Justin had been in care for three or four months in a different foster home when he was placed with us and the threat of losing their parental rights to their only child was a huge motivating factor for his parents to work hard and turn their lives around. They both made significant process as the Permanency Hearing drew closer. 

Case in Point #3 (not from my own personal experiences but from data from this four-part article I stumbled upon when I googled "meth and domestic violence") entitled Methamphetamine: What are the Real Costs to Society?

"Family and close friends are often targets of the meth-user's violence.  Police in Contra Costa County, California, report that nearly 90% of the domestic calls they investigate are methamphetamine related."

Again- a 90% statistic- that's undeniably convincing. Coincidence? I think not.

In light of these facts, imagine the further irony I found when I learned just a few days ago (from a friend's Facebook status who happens to be a mental health professional) that not only is October Domestic Violence Month but it is also Substance Abuse Awareness Month. Seems like these two serious plagues to our society which have the potential to destroy families often go hand in hand, right?   Or for any cynics who might disagree with that assertion (because one might think there's no harm in a mom or dad drinking a couple of beers after work or having a glass of wine without resulting in a D.V. incident or that less "dangerous" drugs such as marijuana don't produce as hazardous side effects as meth and opiate addiction/withdrawal does) perhaps it is more appropriate to say that although substance abuse may not be a proven cause of domestic violence it is certainly an exacerbating factor.

With this in mind, wouldn't the logical argument follow that if our society were to reduce the amount of substance abuse and addiction then we would in turn reduce the number of families who suffer from the ravages of domestic violence?  Perhaps it's too simple of a solution since so many other factors are at play but it seems like it would make sense to try. 

Monday, October 14, 2013

How Much Does It Cost to Adopt?

The following data was published this week in Adoptive Families Magazine, based on the results of a survey taken by 1500 families who adopted in 2010-2011:

 Domestic Newborn - AgencyDomestic Newborn- IndependentU.S. Foster
Homestudy Fee $1,820$1,538$285
Document Preparation & Authentication$768$680$0
Adoption Agency Application & Program Fees$14,441$4,608$0
Legal Fees $3,536$10,331$686
Advertising/
Networking
$2,172$3,437$0
Birth Family Counseling$1,233$543$0
Birthmother Expenses$3,834$4,274$0
Foster Care$230$38$0
Travel Expenses$1,870$2,285$521
All Other Expenses$4,108$2,488$761
TOTAL$34,012$30,222$2,253
 
Average International Adoption Cost 

 ChinaEthiopiaRussiaSouth KoreaUkraine
Homestudy Fee $2,052$2,107$1,923$2,178$1,886
Document Preparation & Authentication$2,214$1,769$3,258$1,472$1,272
Adoption Agency Application & Program Fees$7,652$11,988$22,173$16,675$6,143
In-Country Adoption Expenses $5,581$1,979$6,709$9,007$13,946
Child's Passport, Visa, Medical Exam, and Other Fees$716$837$1,431$888$1,021
Post-Adoption Expenses$1,576$1,150$1,684$1,775$767
Major Travel Expenses$7,181$7,852$14,748$5,577$9,614
In-Country Travel Expenses$2,704$1,080$6,709$583$2,386
All Other Expenses$2,125$5,363$7,569$8,533$5,000
TOTAL$31,801$34,125$66,204$46,688$42,035

And my personal thoughts after looking at the data:

1) Costliness is yet another factor why I cringe when I hear anyone say "just" adopt!

2)  Adopting through the U.S. Foster Care System seems like a financially prudent way to go about building your family through adoption.

Did you adopt in 2012 or 2013?  Take this year's Adoptive Families Magazine's Cost & Timing of Adoption Survey.  If more than 1,000 parents complete the survey, Adoptive Families will randomly select an adoptive parent and donate $300 to the adoption charity of his or her choice!