Children who lose a parent to domestic violence are often more psychologically "burdened" than previously thought, new research has found.
Monash University research, released on Thursday, found many children who lose a parent to domestic violence have experienced undocumented violence themselves.
Sixty-seven per cent of children were exposed to domestic violence prior to the murder, yet more than 40 per cent were not known to professional services beforehand.
The research also found children are in the usually in the same building as their parents at the time of the murder - exposing them to "graphic crime scenes" involving knives and guns.
The Monash University Accident Research Centre hopes the research, which used data from the Netherlands, can be used to raise awareness of the need to support children affected by domestic homicide in Australia.
"Almost every week, a woman in Australia is killed by her (ex) partner. Many of these women have children," lead researcher Dr Eva Alisic said.
"Our data suggest that these children are even more burdened than we already expected ... we need to understand their situation, give them a voice, and provide the best possible care."
