Domestic violence is wrong in so many ways, yet what a lot of people don’t realize is that its effect on kids who witness it aren’t short-term.
Children between three to five years old who have seen aggression between their parents, or a between a parent and his or her partner, may be more likely to show increased aggression a few years later, according to a study featured on ScienceDaily.com.
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University studied the data of 107 children who had witnessed intimate partner violence (IPV) during their first three years, but never again after. They then compared it with data from 339 children who had not seen any form of IPV.
The results revealed that those who were exposed to IPV during their younger years showed an increase in aggression once they reached school-age. However, those who didn’t displayed little or decreased aggressive behavior.
This highlights the importance of creating a warm and caring environment for children. Although it’s understood that there should never be any form of physical or verbal abuse at home, heated arguments should also be sorted out behind closed doors, away from children. After all, kids may not understand what exactly is going on, but they do recognize discord, and more so, violence.
(Photo by Rolands Lakis via Flickr Creative Commons)
