Do you understand the impact your abusive behaviour is having on your partner?
Domestic abuse can devastate the lives of your partner, children, and other loved ones, both now and in the future.
Physical
Stiffness, soreness, aching, throbbing, or numbness where you’ve hurt them. Headaches, cuts and other wounds, black eyes and bruising. Hair loss where it’s been pulled out, burst eardrums or broken bones. Tension, difficulty sleeping, exhaustion. Panic attacks, palpitations.
Emotional
Stress. Vulnerability. Depression. Humiliation. Drained. They probably feel unloved, worthless and confused about why this is happening. They might be nervous or terrified at whether or when it will happen again. Maybe a feeling of loss or that their life is being destroyed.
The effects of domestic abuse can be prevented and if you are worried that you may be a domestic abuse perpetrator and want to change, find out how today.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse and have experienced any of the physical or emotional effects of abuse, there is help available to you here.
Abuse destroys trust and wrecks relationships. Your relationship doesn’t have to be like this.
Effects on your children
Even if your children haven’t seen you be abusive, they’ve almost certainly overheard things. Children are highly intuitive, and can pick up on tension around them.
It’s terrifying to hear a parent being abused. To know that someone they love is being harmed, and not knowing how it will end. To be powerless to stop it.
Studies have shown that children suffer long-term harm if they live with violence and abuse, even if the abuse isn’t directed at them.
Physical
Your children might be physically hurt in the ‘cross-fire’, suffer sleep deprivation and be unable to concentrate at school. They may wet the bed, develop eating disorders, or endure panic attacks, stress and tension.
Emotional
Your child will probably feel fear, anger and anxiety, be jumpy or unable to relax. They might struggle to trust you, or others, and develop low self-esteem and psychological problems.
Behaviour
Children learn from those around them. Your child could start to model themselves on your violent and abusive behaviour, and bully other children or expect and accept abuse. They might struggle with school work or skip school, steal or break the law, or turn to alcohol and drugs.