Final answer:
Children can indirectly hear domestic violence through arguments, threats, or physical altercations. Exposure, especially in homes with substance abuse, can have severe emotional and psychological effects. Overhearing such violence is damaging and may lead to a cycle of abuse.
Step-by-step explanation:
A child can indirectly hear domestic violence in their home in several ways.
They might overhear arguments, threats, or physical altercations even if they are not in the same room where the violence is occurring. Intimate partner violence (IPV) often occurs at home and can take place at any time, but it predominantly happens during the evening or night.
The presence of substance abuse can escalate the risk and frequency of these violent episodes, which a child can hear as shouting, crashing objects, or crying.
Violence and abuse have significant repercussions on family dynamics, often resulting in long-term psychological impacts. Children, even if not directly victims of the abuse, may suffer from heightened anxiety or depression, and their perception of healthy relationships can be severely distorted.
Exposure to such violence is a risk factor for future abusive behaviors, as approximately 30 percent of abused children will later abuse their own children. Hearing violence indirectly may not leave physical scars, but the emotional and psychological toll can be damaging.