Though domestic violence seems to have been in the news a lot lately, there are still some myths that are very prevalent when it comes to these cases. Below are a few of the more common myths and the reasons that they’re not true. If you’re in a custody battle in Texas, it’s important to understand these myths and the realities of how domestic violence could impact the case.
First of all, many people wrongly assume that domestic violence simply does not show up in very many cases. However, for disputed custody cases, it’s actually been found that domestic violence is a factor in as many as 25 to 50 percent of these cases.
Another myth is that the violence does not really impact the children in any lasting way, as long as they weren’t victimized by it. That is to say, the myth is that children who see one parent abusing the other are not going to be affected by what they saw. The reality, though, is that some studies have concluded that children not only are affected by what they see, but that some can even act as if they were abused themselves.
Additionally, children who see domestic violence have exhibited a host of well-documented symptoms. These include cognitive issues, depression, aggressive behavior and more.
Finally, there is a myth that mothers often claim that the children were sexually abused by the father so that they can get custody of the children, even if it’s not true. This myth fails in two ways. First of all, these claims are not common, showing up in only 6 percent of cases. Additionally, in the majority of these cases, the allegations were shown to be true, not fabricated.
Source: Commission on Domestic Violence, “10 Custody Myths and How to Counter Them,” accessed May. 21, 2015
