Socio-psychological characteristics of children victims of family violence

Abstract

Purpose. The article reveals the problem of family violence in psychology and the study of socio-psychological characteristics of children affected by family violence.

Methods. In order to achieve the goal, the following methods were used in the study: Lazarus coping test, personality orientation method" V. Smekala, M. Kuchera; personal questionnaire FPI (modified form B), method of diagnosis of indicators and forms of aggression by A. Bass and A. Darka; methods of mathematical statistics, in particular (determination of average values, percentage and correlation analysis, Fisher's φ-angle transformation).

Results. According to the results of the interviewed teenagers using the selected methods, it was established that teenagers who have experienced family violence or witnessed it: are task- and self-oriented, in difficult life circumstances they are more likely to demonstrate coping behavior: distancing, seeking social support, and escape-avoidance; they are characterized by a high level of: neuroticism, depression, irritability, shyness, openness and emotional lability, verbal aggression, suspiciousness, offensiveness, indirect and physical aggressiveness.

On the other hand, adolescents who were not subjected to illegal actions by their parents/guardians and generally did not experience any violent actions (bullying) in social groups were found to be: focused on themselves and on building interpersonal relationships; in difficult situations, they resort to confrontational coping, social support and positive reassessment of the situation; on the one hand, they are more balanced, on the other hand, they demonstrate irritability, emotional lability, negativism, irritation, suspicion, and verbal aggression. Also, a certain level of spontaneous aggressiveness, sociability, reactive aggressiveness, ambiversion and androgynous gender identity was determined in both groups of teenagers.

Conclusions. Socio-psychological features of children affected by family violence are characterized by a certain connection among the interviewed teenagers. Namely, in adolescents who have experienced violence, a connection was determined: distancing with depression, escape-avoidance with neuroticism and reactive aggressiveness; self-directedness with coping seeking social support and negative association with shyness. In adolescents who did not experience violence in the family, connections were established: coping, problem solving planning with a focus on interaction, positive reevaluation with sociability; a negative relationship between the search for social support and neuroticism and depression.