Pre-natal: Studies show a much higher rate of miscarriages among woman who are battered while they are pregnant than woman who are not. It is also believed that severe battering can be responsible for some birth defects and or malformations of the fetus.

Infants: Battering and domestic violence need not take place directly upon the infant in order to affect them. Just by being subjected to the type environment in which there may be frequent fighting, yelling, arguing and or screaming causes excessive crying and irritability, sleep disturbance, digestive problems.

Toddlers & Preschoolers: It can cause children who witness it to be more aggressive than other children or more withdrawn than other children; difficulty learning, delays in verbal development, poor motor skills, general fearfulness, anxiety, stomach aches, nightmares; lack of bowel and bladder control in children over 3 years of age, lack of confidence to begin new tasks.

Elementary & Middle School Aged Children: Poor grades, or in special classes (SLD, EH), failure on one or more grade levels; poor social skills, low self esteem, general aggressiveness, violent outbursts of anger, bullying or withdrawn, dependent, bed wetting, nightmares, digestive problems, ulcers, headaches.

Teenagers & Young adults: Poor grades, failure in school, quits school altogether, low self esteem, refuses to bring friends home, stays away from home or feels responsible to take care of home and mother, runaway, violent outbursts of anger, destroying property, poor judgment, irresponsible decision making, unable to communicate feelings, immaturity, withdrawn, few friends, nightmares, ulcers, digestive problems, bed wetting, headaches, severe acne, dating violence, join in on physical abuse with parent.

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