Family Theories Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Family Theories - Research Paper Example Not only are they traumatized for an extended period of their life (as will become apparent in the literature review), they face life with the same fear and are known to instil it into their children. It is a vicious cycle that must be broken. Literature Review According to Hague, children in households where their mothers are abused suffer greatly from distress, mental abuse and are prone to exhibiting adverse reactions in social situations. Even if the children are not being abused, many academics and intellectuals term this as indirect abuse (Mullender & Hague, 2002). â€Å"It is only recently that researches have focused on the children being affected by families suffering from domestic violence† (Fantuzzo, 1999). Not much literature had been written on children suffering in families with domestic violence, especially on a national basis. However, the need for such researches has been felt and is now being carried out by academics and governments increasingly. Nonetheless, quantifying the intangible effects of domestic violence on children is proving to be hard as the methodologies are, as yet, still weak. The article, in the year 1999, focused on finding worthy methodologies. Then in 2000, the department of paediatrics of the University of Arizona carried out a research. According to their findings, domestic violence in a child's home was more frequent â€Å"if the mother had experienced physical abuse during childhood (65 %,) than if she had not (48 %)†, (Bowen, 2000). These statistics can be explained by Levendosky’s findings on the parenting in battered women a year later (USA). They found the women were depressed, had low self esteem, and felt powerless to do anything. In addition to this, â€Å"an increasing number... There is an obvious need for more research on this topic. Many aspects that arise from domestic violence in families with small children remain untouched. And while there are many solutions now available for members of such families to pursue, there is little that the children can do to safeguard themselves. They must depend on their parents and/or elder siblings. This leaves no choice but to uproot the problem, so that it never harms the children or other members of the family again. However, little has been done to prevent issues of domestic violence from arising in the first place compared to what has been done to solve the problem in this day and age. While the problem that is occurring IS being addressed, the main focus has been on how to stop it, not to eradicate it from the society completely. Small children form the future generations of this world. They are pure in their thoughts and heart, bear no malice for others, and love unconditionally. However, they are dependent on o thers. In exposing them to the violence in their families, parents/guardians ensure that the children grow up to be either, traumatized and socially underdeveloped, or to follow their examples. They may become the abusers when they grow up, or end up in abusive relationships. Awareness and prevention campaigns must be carried out on a wide scale as well as more research into this issue.