Living Through Family Violence in Australia: An Integrative Literature Review of Children's Mental Health Outcomes

Until recently, the study of the outcomes of children exposed to domestic and family violence (DFV) in Australia has long been constrained by the perception that they are secondary victims to their mother's experiences. An integrative literature review was conducted to capture the current understanding and representation of direct child outcomes following experience with DFV in Australia. Australian studies published between 1992 and 2021 were sourced from four databases with the addition of relevant gray articles. Using a selection criterion that exclusively focused on Australian children's outcomes from DFV exposure, 27 articles were screened, appraised, coded, and analyzed. DFV has been shown to impact Australian children's emotional-behavioral development and mental health. The intergenerational transmission of learned violence was also evident, while prolonged and repeated exposure was associated with the most severe outcomes for children. Protective factors, such as escaping the abuse and the mother's well-being, emerged as conducive to child resilience. Limitations of current Australian research were found, such as the absence of literature on culturally and linguistically diverse Australian children and limited research on First Nations children. Policy implications include emphasis on re-educating parents on the impact of DFV on children, which may influence mothers reluctant to leave violent relationships.