Children living with violence against their mothers: The side effects on their behaviour, self-image and school performance

Abstract

This paper discusses the effects of children’s exposure to violence against their mothers. It particularly considers the sided-effects of this violence on the children’s behaviour, self-image and school performance. The research indicates that (1) violence against women victimises not only the mothers but also their children, even if the children are not themselves the targets of violence; and that (2) the signs/effects of a child’s exposure to violence are as varied as the children’s personalities and may be externalised in the different contexts in which children become socialised, including school. The paper presents findings from a study of 80 9–11-year-old children attending primary schools all over Cyprus. Half of these children were identified as having been exposed to violence; and 40 children were also randomly selected as a control group. The results indicated that children’s views on their self-image and school performance, as well as their reactions towards violence, differed from the views and behaviour of children not exposed to violence. These findings should interest everyone involved in children’s development and education.