Facts & Myths

For Caregivers

How Many Children are Exposed to Violence?

A study at Boston City Hospital (now Boston Medical Center) found that 1 in 10 children had observed a shooting or knifing by the age of six.
Half of the reported violence occurred in the home and half occurred on the streets. In Los Angeles, children witness 10–20% of homicides.
A study of elementary school children in New Orleans revealed that over 90% of the children had witnessed violence; over half had been the victims of some form of violence; 40% had seen a dead body.
At least a third of American children have witnessed violence between their parents. Most have witnessed multiple instances.
Between 3 and 10 million children (depending upon the study) will witness domestic violence in this country this year.
The majority of children who live in homes where there is domestic violence have observed the violence at least once (75–87%, depending on the study).
Over a third of children in one study reported seeing violence used by fathers against mothers when a parent reported that no violence occurred.

What Is the Connection Between Domestic Violence and Child Abuse?

The overlap between child abuse and domestic violence in the same family is significant. 40–60% of families who present with partner violence also report child abuse.
One study found that half the children who were physically abused were caught in the middle of an inter-parental attack.
The more often violence is used against a parent, the greater the risk that the children are also abused.
77% of children in high violence families were abused over their lifetime. * Of 50 men imprisoned for killing their child, 12(24%) had also assaulted their partners.

What Are the Effects of Exposure to Violence on Children?

Most children who witness domestic violence manifest some symptoms associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Witnessing violence affects children’s abilities to learn. They may have difficulty focusing and concentrating in school. They are easily distracted.
Witnessing violence affects children’s behavior, sometimes making it difficult to establish good peer relationships.
Children who witness violence may be more aggressive and fight more often.
Growing up with violence affects a child’s basic drive to explore the world. Natural curiosity is thwarted. Children may be less willing to try new things.
Children growing up with violence are at greater risk to become violent themselves although most do not.
Children exposed to high levels of parental violence are at risk for adjustment problems in young adulthood.

What Are the Myths about Witnessing Violence?

Myth: The younger the child, the less the child will be affected by exposure to violence.

Young children are not immune to the effects of violence. Clinical experience suggests that young children are deeply affected by witnessing violence, particularly if the perpetrator or victim of violence is a family member.

Myth: Young children will not remember the violence they have witnessed.

Children do not forget what they have witnessed. Adults hope that if the violence is not talked about, the children’s memories of the event will disappear. However, young children demonstrate a remarkable capacity for recalling traumatic events. Children’s vivid accounts of violent events stand in contrast to parent’s reports that their children did not see the violence or were unaware of it.

Myth: Violence is an urban problem and only children living in urban areas witness violence.

Violence is not solely an urban problem. Violence has touched the lives of families and children across the country: in rural areas, in the suburbs and in the inner city. Domestic violence can occur anywhere. Child abuse and community violence occur with more frequency in areas where there is a high concentration of persons with inadequate housing and income, and with high rates of drug use. This correlation speaks to the need for addressing issues of poverty and inequity in this country as one strategy for reducing violence.

Myth: Violence is a racial problem affecting primarily Black and Hispanic children.

Violence is not a racial problem nor does it exist primarily in minority communities. Domestic violence occurs at similar rates across all races and cultural groups studied. Research suggests that community violence is a function of poverty, not race. When people at the same income level are compared, there are few differences among races. This finding suggests that the context of poverty, not race, is a main risk factor for violence.