WEDNESDAY, March 8, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Children who witness violence in their community or at home face increased risks of both emotional problems and physical illness, researchers report.
As reported in the March issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers at the University of Michigan interviewed the mothers and teachers of 160 children from low-income, single-mother families enrolled in Head Start programs in two Michigan counties.
They found that 65 percent of the 4-to-6-year-olds had been exposed to at least one incident of violence in their communities. These incidents ranged from shootings, stabbings and rapes, to beatings and chasings.
The study also found that 47 percent of the children had been exposed to at least once violent incident within their own families, such as domestic violence or child maltreatment.
Those experiences had consequences: According to the researchers, 90 percent of children exposed to violence experienced traumatic stress reactions, including nightmares, bed-wetting, or thumb-sucking, while 20 percent were at high risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder.
Nearly a third of the children in the study had allergies, asthma or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. These health problems were much more likely in children who'd experienced violence within the family, the study found.
Children who had gastrointestinal problems or asthma were nearly four times as likely to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder than children who did not have those particular health problems, the researchers added.
The Michigan team said it's unclear whether post-traumatic stress causes illness or vice-versa. And they added that the overall health and substance abuse habits of mothers were also big factors in predicting child health problems.
Clinical interventions to increase the health and safety of such single mothers may improve their ability to care for their children, the study authors suggested. Treating affected children for traumatic stress symptoms may also go a long way to improve their health and well-being, they said.
More information
The American Bar Association has more about the impact of domestic violence on children.
