From witnessing violence to traumatic grief: The special orphans

The Intimate Partner Witnessing violence is a painful reality that is becoming more and more significant at a national and international level; in particular, the condition of “special orphans” appears particularly complex. The special orphans are the children victims of witnessing violence, due to the murder of their mother by their father. Indeed, the involvement of children as witness of this kind of violence determines devastating effects on their lives and it can lead to complex psychopathological effects. The purposes of this paper are to illustrate the medium and long-term consequences of special orphans, to describe the assessment tools aimed to the clinical evaluation, and to define specific intervention protocols, for treating the peri and post-traumatic consequences of these experiences.