Abuse of women-mothers in the familial context and its consequences for children

Abstract

This article provides a brief presentation of domestic violence and of the related Daphne III European research project (2007-2013, JLS/2008/CFP/DAP/2008-1): «An indirect harmful effect of violence: Victimizing the child and Re-victimizing the woman-mother through her child’s exposure to violence against herself.
Sensitizing and creating awareness through research-product material, both transnational and differential according to the partner-context.» The study compares children exposed to the abuse of their mothers by her partner (experimental sample; n 40) to those who had not (control sample; n 40), in order to see whether the former are more likely either to make use of violence
or to be more tolerant about that. It is also considered whether their mothers appear to them as a negative model role. Children’s self-perception was also examined by measuring global self-worth and by making use five subscales (scholastic competence, social acceptance, athletic competence, physical appearance, behavioural conduct). Questionnaires were administered in schools to children aged 9-11 and their teachers. Part of the Italian results is reported.
There exists the need to increase teachers’ awareness about the repercussions that witnessing domestic violence has on children. Hence, it is proposed to contrast the phenomenon through action based on pedagogy, thus promoting social inclusion, citizenship and active democracy.