Social Support Can Help Negate Exposure to Domestic Violence

A recently-published research study from Canada found that children who witnessed parental domestic violence had a higher incidence of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse than children without that exposure. Among a sample of more than 17,000 people responding to a survey, 326 had been exposed to chronic parental domestic violence (> 10 incidents before age 16). Among that subset, 15% developed an anxiety disorder later in life. That rate was more than double the rate (7.1%) among those not exposed to domestic violence.

The good news is that in both groups, the vast majority of children showed no mental health problems. The children were resilient and able to overcome the negative effects of exposure to violence. Furthermore, those children who had social support showed less mental health problems than those without. Youth-serving organizations can play an important role in building resilience. We may not be able to change the home lives of the children we serve, but we can provide the social support that boosts resilience and helps them move past childhood trauma.