The Lifetime Affects of Childhood Family Violence

Abstract

Family violence is a massive problem in the United States and it affects many children across all demographics; leading to a wide range of health and behavioral problems that continue to follow them through life. Family violence changes the child’s developing brain in a multitude of ways, changing the size and shape of several structures including the amygdala and the hippocampus. Behavioral changes are also seen in children and adolescents who experienced family violence in the home, some of these behaviors stay with them for long periods of time or even their entire life. A multitude of negative health outcomes is also seen in these individuals, including problems such as obesity and chronic heart problems, which could be an indicator of how family violence is also a health epidemic in the United States. This scholarly project brought some recommendations on how to treat the problems caused by family violence, and how to prevent it from happening. The first goal of this scholarly project was to review and collect different changes in an individual that are linked to family violence. Many previous studies have a very specific focus, such as changes to the amygdala. This project was meant to bring a more holistic approach to bringing together all the aspects of the long-term impact of this on a child. This research project was performed by completing a literature review by accessing many different databases and journals, including the Psychinfo database and journals that focus on preventative health. Family violence is a topic that is on the rise worldwide. It is crucial that awareness is raised of all the complications it may cause, to have an intersectional approach to come to terms with the aftermath, and a main goal of prevention of this form of abuse, maltreatment, or neglect that a child or adolescent experiences.