More difficult for many to understand is the battered woman who abuses or neglects her children. According to those who work with battered woman, several explanations are possible. In an effort to forestall further violence, some battered women devote all their attention to their abuser, or they withdraw from the family -- even the children -- in an effort to protect themselves. Both responses may result in child neglect. The tremendous stress associated with living in a violent situation may also prompt physical abuse of children by those women at risk for such behaviors. Some physical or emotional abuse of children also results from battered women who are so fearful of their spouse's reaction of childhood behavior that they overdiscipline in an attempt to protect the children from what they perceive to be the greater danger from the batterer.
Even in households in which children are not themselves physically abused or neglected, they can be victimized by witnessing spousal abuse. Because children do not fully understand the dynamics of domestic violence, they may come to view power and control, aggression and violence as the only means of getting one's needs met. Children may also imitate the violent adult behavior they observe by victimizing younger siblings, peers, and animals. Other children may adopt the victim role, becoming passive and withdrawn in their interactions with other people. Child witnesses of domestic violence may also display an inability to control and express emotion, or to delay gratification.
Only recently have helping professionals begun to coordinate interventions in child abuse and domestic violence. Further work is needed to develop joint screening mechanisms to identify families in which both types of abuse play a role in family dynamics. Assessments must also consider whether a parent has the capacity to care for her children outside of a violent situation. Intervention strategies must recognize the need for safety for victims of both spousal abuse and child abuse through services such as legal advocacy and shelter resources. When both women and children are victims, treatment modalities must not reinforce the idea that the battered spouse is somehow to blame for the violence within the family, e.g., by labeling her a poor parent and mandating attendance at parenting classes. Individual or unisex group counseling may be the more effective treatment modality and may be less risky than joint family counseling when the spouse is also a victim. Most importantly, professionals working in both fields must not lose sight of their ultimate goal -- ending violence within families.