Some children who have been exposed to violence between their parents have a greater risk of experiencing episodes of anxiety or depression. But they are not the majority.
- Violence between parents witnessed by children can lead to depressive disorders in one in five adults
- However, a majority of children who witness this violence have good mental health in adulthood.
One in five adults among those who were exposed as children to domestic violence in their parents developed a major depressive disorder at some point in their lives. But if we could anticipate this result from a study conducted by the University of Toronto and published in the “Journal of Family Violence”, it also shows that three out of five people who have experienced this violence are adults in excellent mental health. And this result was less expected.
Violence against children excluded from the analysis
To carry out this work, the scientists analyzed a sample of nearly 18,000 people, of whom 326 said they had witnessed parental domestic violence (PDV) during their childhood (more than 10 times before the age of 16). To rule out the impact of other adversities often linked to this type of violence, the scientists excluded all those who had been victims of sexual abuse during childhood. One in five adults (22.5%) who witnessed their parents’ domestic violence said they had developed a major depressive episode, one in six had developed an anxiety disorder and one in four substance use disorders.
“Our findings underscore the risk of long-term negative consequences of domestic violence even when children themselves are not abused, pointing to the need for social workers to be vigilant in preventing such domestic violence and supporting both the direct victims and their children”, underlines Esme Fuller-Thomson, author of this study and professor at the faculty of social work.
Three out of five… in excellent mental health
But, seen with a more optimistic eye, the same study also shows that three out of five adults who have witnessed domestic violence between their parents in childhood are… in excellent mental health, happy with their life and declaring a high level social and psychological well-being! “We were heartened to find that so many adults have overcome their exposure to this early adversity and are free from mental illness,” said study co-author Shalhevet Attar-Schwartz. But he notes that this one did show that social support was an important factor in overcoming such hardships: “Those who had the most social support were much more likely to be in excellent mental health”, observes-t. -he.