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- Linda Cahill, MD*
- Peter Sherman, MD†
- *Medical Director, Children’s Protection Center, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, NY
- †Director, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, St. Barnabas Hospital, Bronx, NY
Objectives
After completing this article, readers should be able to:
Understand the strong association between child abuse and domestic violence.
Screen for domestic violence in cases where child abuse has occurred.
Discuss how exposure to violence affects the health of children.
Refer children who have been exposed to domestic violence for treatment.
Case Presentation
MR, a bright, chatty 6-year-old boy, disclosed physical and sexual abuse by his father. There is a history of domestic violence in the home, which he shares with his 7-year-old sister and his mother. The children witnessed their father hitting their mother, choking her, pushing her against the wall, and kicking her in the stomach on several occasions while she was pregnant with her third child. MR heard his father say that he wished his mother would die. Once during a physical assault when MR tried to pull his father off his mother, his father slapped him. His mother delivered a stillborn baby, after which MR’s behavior declined. He threatened to kill himself by cutting his wrists to be in heaven with the deceased baby. He attempted to choke his sister and to hurt the family dog and described hearing voices telling him to do bad things.
MR reported that his father got into the bathtub with him every day and “washed” MR’s private area with soap and water. At times, his father grabbed MR’s penis forcefully enough to cause pain. He said that his father asked him to touch and kiss his (father’s) penis. His father pulled his ear, slapped him on his buttocks and face, and hit him with a belt. MR said that his father did a lot of things and that he didn’t remember them all.
MR’s mother said that she told the father to leave the apartment. According to her, when he …
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In this issue
Jump to section
- Article
- Objectives
- Case Presentation
- Introduction
- Defining Child Abuse and Domestic Violence
- Identifying Child Abuse and Domestic Violence
- Signs and Symptoms of Child Abuse
- Signs and Symptoms of Domestic Violence
- Intervening in Cases of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse
- Documentation
- Issues Regarding the Treatment of Children Exposed to Both Child Abuse and Domestic Violence
- Prognosis of Children Exposed to Abuse or Violence
- Conclusion
- Footnotes
- References
- Suggested Reading
- Child Abuse Resources
- Domestic Violence Resources
- Info & Metrics
- Comments