The Subjective Experience of Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: Anxiety and the Contribution of Protective Variables
Type de matériel :
24
Exposure to domestic violence considerably affects the mental health of children, and numerous studies have underlined the presence of anxiety in these children. However, a certain number show stability in their mental health despite the deleterious effects of exposure to such violence. Throughout this qualitative and exploratory research, we have tested the hypothesis that variables such as self-esteem and intellectual efficiency may act as protective factors for children who have been exposed to domestic violence. These assets could attenuate anxious symptomatology. Two children exposed to domestic violence are examined. While one of these children rated as significantly anxious on the Demangeon Anxiety Scale, the other was mildly anxious. Our resolutely clinical approach is based on the analysis of two semi-directive interviews for each child (one of these interviews carried out with the child, the other, with his mother), aiming at exploring the subjective experience of exposure to domestic violence. The analysis of two evaluation tools (the WISC-III and Coopersmith’s Self-Esteem Scale) completes these data. The analysis reveals and subsequently discusses the differences between the two children in the light of protective factors which are present.
Réseaux sociaux