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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children who see their mothers physically abused may often suffer their own emotional and behavioral problems in response, new study findings show.

The study, according to the researchers, adds to evidence that witnessing violence in the home can have serious consequences for children's mental health and ability to function in daily life.

"The findings suggest that systematic efforts are needed to ensure that mental health needs are identified and addressed appropriately in children exposed to this violence," they report in the journal Pediatrics.

The researchers, led by Dr. Andrea L. Hazen of the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center in San Diego, based their conclusions on data collected from 2020 U.S. families who had been investigated by Child Protective Services for suspected child abuse or neglect.

They found that mothers who said they'd been seriously abused by their partner -- beaten, choked or threatened with a weapon -- generally reported more emotional and behavioral problems in their 4- to 14-year-old children.

A mother's own behavior did play a role in this association, the study found. That is, women who were physically abused were more likely than other women to be aggressive toward their children or to use physical punishment, and this partially explained the higher rates of depression, anxiety and aggressive behavior among their children.

However, there was still a clear effect of simply witnessing abuse, Hazen and her colleagues found.

The findings, they conclude, highlight a need for child-welfare agencies and programs aimed at intimate partner violence to ensure that they address the mental health needs of children who witness violence.

Pediatricians, they add, also need to do their part by routinely screening mothers for intimate partner violence, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"To provide optimal care for the overall physical and emotional well-being of children," the researchers write, "providers in these settings must have a comprehensive understanding of children's home lives."

SOURCE: Pediatrics, January 2006.

Domestic Violence Safety Plan
(from the American Bar Association)

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Safety Tips For You And Your Family

IF YOU ARE IN DANGER, CALL 911
or your local police emergency number

To find out about help in your area, call:
National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

Whether or not you feel able to leave an abuser,
there are things you can do to make yourself and your family safer.

IN AN EMERGENCY

If you are at home & you are being threatened or attacked:

* Stay away from the kitchen (the abuser can find weapons, like knives, there)
* Stay away from bathrooms, closets or small spaces where the abuser can trap you
* Get to a room with a door or window to escape
* Get to a room with a phone to call for help; lock the abuser outside if you can
* Call 911 (or your local emergency number) right away for help; get the dispatcher's name
* Think about a neighbor or friend you can run to for help
* If a police officer comes, tell him/her what happened; get his/her name & badge number
* Get medical help if you are hurt
* Take pictures of bruises or injuries
* Call a domestic violence program or shelter (some are listed here); ask them to help you make a safety plan

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AT HOME

* Learn where to get help; memorize emergency phone numbers
* Keep a phone in a room you can lock from the inside; if you can, get a cellular phone that you keep with you at all times
* If the abuser has moved out, change the locks on your door; get locks on the windows
* Plan an escape route out of your home; teach it to your children
* Think about where you would go if you need to escape
* Ask your neighbors to call the police if they see the abuser at your house; make a signal for them to call the police, for example, if the phone rings twice, a shade is pulled down or a light is on
* Pack a bag with important things you'd need if you had to leave quickly; put it in a safe place, or give it to a friend or relative you trust
* Include cash, car keys & important information such as: court papers, passport or birth certificates, medical records & medicines, immigration papers
* Get an unlisted phone number
* Block caller ID
* Use an answering machine; screen the calls
* Take a good self-defense course

HOW TO MAKE YOUR CHILDREN SAFER

* Teach them not to get in the middle of a fight, even if they want to help
* Teach them how to get to safety, to call 911, to give your address & phone number to the police
* Teach them who to call for help
* Tell them to stay out of the kitchen
* Give the principal at school or the daycare center a copy of your court order; tell them not to release your children to anyone without talking to you first; use a password so they can be sure it is you on the phone; give them a photo of the abuser
* Make sure the children know who to tell at school if they see the abuser
* Make sure that the school knows not to give your address or phone number to ANYONE

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF OUTSIDE THE HOME

* Change your regular travel habits
* Try to get rides with different people
* Shop and bank in a different place
* Cancel any bank accounts or credit cards you shared; open new accounts at a different bank
* Keep your court order and emergency numbers with you at all times
* Keep a cell phone & program it to 911 (or other emergency number)

HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF SAFER AT WORK

* Keep a copy of your court order at work
* Give a picture of the abuser to security and friends at work
* Tell your supervisors - see if they can make it harder for the abuser to find you
* Don't go to lunch alone
* Ask a security guard to walk you to your car or to the bus
* If the abuser calls you at work, save voice mail and save e-mail
* Your employer may be able to help you find community resources

USING THE LAW TO HELP YOU

Protection or Restraining Orders

* Ask your local domestic violence program who can help you get a civil protection order and who can help you with criminal prosecution
* Ask for help in finding a lawyer

In most places, the judge can:

* Order the abuser to stay away from you or your children
* Order the abuser to leave your home
* Give you temporary custody of your children & order the abuser to pay you temporary child support
* Order the police to come to your home while the abuser picks up personal belongings
* Give you possession of the car, furniture and other belongings
* Order the abuser to go to a batterers intervention program
* Order the abuser not to call you at work
* Order the abuser to give guns to the police

If you are worried about any of the following, make sure you:

* Show the judge any pictures of your injuries
* Tell the judge that you do not feel safe if the abuser comes to your home to pick up the children to visit with them
* Ask the judge to order the abuser to pick up and return the children at the police station or some other safe place
* Ask that any visits the abuser is permitted are at very specific times so the police will know by reading the court order if the abuser is there at the wrong time
* Tell the judge if the abuser has harmed or threatened the children; ask that visits be supervised; think about who could do that for you
* Get a certified copy of the court order
* Keep the court order with you at all times

CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS

* Show the prosecutor your court orders
* Show the prosecutor medical records about your injuries or pictures if you have them
* Tell the prosecutor the name of anyone who is helping you (a victim advocate or a lawyer)
* Tell the prosecutor about any witnesses to injuries or abuse
* Ask the prosecutor to notify you ahead of time if the abuser is getting out of jail

BE SAFE AT THE COURTHOUSE

* Sit as far away from the abuser as you can; you don't have to look at or talk to the abuser; you don't have to talk to the abuser's family or friends if they are there
* Bring a friend or relative with you to wait until your case is heard
* Tell a bailiff or sheriff that you are afraid of the abuser and ask him/her to look out for you
* Make sure you have your court order before you leave
* Ask the judge or the sheriff to keep the abuser there for a while when court is over; leave quickly
* If you think the abuser is following you when you leave, call the police immediately
* If you have to travel to another State for work or to get away from the abuser, take your protection order with you; it is valid everywhere.

How an Abuser Can Discover Your Internet Activities:
http://www.abanet.org/domviol/internet.html

American Bar Association
Commission on Domestic Violence
WARNING
Taking all of the actions on this page may not prevent an abuser from discovering your email and internet activity. The safest way to find information on the internet is to go to a safer computer. Suggestions are: a local library, a friend's house or your workplace. Other safety suggestions: change your password often, do not pick obvious words or numbers for your password, and pick a combination of letters and numbers for your password.
HOW AN ABUSER CAN DISCOVER YOUR INTERNET ACTIVITIES
email: if an abuser has access to your email account, he or she may be able to read your incoming and outgoing mail. if you believe your account is secure, make sure you choose a password he or she will not be able to guess.

If an abuser sends you threatening or harassing email messages, they may be printed and saved as evidence of this abuse. Additionally, the messages may constitute a federal offense. For more information on this issue, contact your local United States Attorney's Office.

history / cache file: if an abuser knows how to read your computer's history or cache file (automatically saved web pages and graphics), he or she may be able to see information you have viewed recently on the internet.

You can clear your history or empty your cache file in your browser's settings.*

* Netscape:
Pulldown Edit menu, select Preferences. Click on Navigator on choose 'Clear History'. Click on Advanced then select Cache. Click on "Clear Disk Cache".

On older versions of Netcape: Pulldown Options menu. Select Network Options, Select Cache. Click on "Clear Disk Cache".

* Internet Explorer:
Pull down Tools menu, select Internet Options. On General page, under Temporary Internet Files, click on "Delete Files." If asked, check the box to delete all offline content. Still within the Temporary Internet Files section, click on Settings. (This next step may make it harder to navigate pages where you'd like your information to be remembered, but these remaining cookies do show website pages you have visited. Therefore, use your own judgment as to whether or not to take this next step). Click on "View Files." Manually highlight all the files (cookies) shown, then hit Delete. Close that window, then on General page under History section, click on "Clear History."

* AOL:
Pulldown Members menu, select Preferences. Click on WWW icon. Then select Advanced. Purge Cache.

Additionally, a victim needs to make sure that the "Use Inline Autocomplete" box is NOT checked. This function will complete a partial web address while typing a location in the address bar at the top of the browser.

If you are using Internet Explorer, this box can be found on the MS Internet Explorer Page by clicking on "Tools" at the top of the screen, then "Internet Options," and then the "Advanced" tab. About halfway down there is a "Use inline AutoComplete" box that can be checked and unchecked by clicking on it. Uncheck the box to disable the feature that automatically completes an internet address when you start typing in the internet address box.

* This information may not completely hide your tracks. Many browser types have features that display recently visited sites. The safest way to find information on the internet, would be at a local library, a friend's house, or at work.

For help call the National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

Contact information:
ABA Commission on Domestic Violence
740 15th Street, NW, 9th Floor
Washington, DC, 20005-1022