Children and Domestic Violence

According to The Childhood Domestic Violence Association there are 10 alarming statistics of the damage effects witnessing Domestic Violence has on children.

 1. 5 million children witness domestic violence each year in the US

2. 40 million adult Americans grew up living with domestic violence

3. Children from homes with violence are much more likely to experience significant psychological problems short- and long-term

4. Children who’ve experienced domestic violence often meet the diagnostic criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) and the effects on their brain are similarly to those experienced by combat veterans

5. Domestic violence in childhood is directly correlated with difficulties learning, lower IQ scores, deficiencies in visual-motor skills and problems with attention and memory.

6. Living with domestic violence significantly alters a child’s DNA, aging them prematurely 7-10 years

7. Children in homes with violence are physically abused or seriously neglected at a rate 1500% higher than the national average

8. Those who grow up with domestic violence are 6 times more likely to commit suicide and 50% more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol

9. If you grow up with domestic violence, you’re 74% more likely to commit a violent crime against someone else

10. Children of domestic violence are 3 times more likely to repeat the cycle in adulthood, as growing up with domestic violence is the most significant predictor of whether or not someone will be engaged in domestic violence later in life