Of the 76 million children living in the United States, a staggering 60 percent (46 million) will experience violence, abuse, crime and psychological trauma before age 18, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Studies indicate that, when it comes to adverse childhood experiences, children living in a single-parent home are at higher risk than children living with their two married biological parents
The National Survey of Children's Health, conducted by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, surveyed parents of 95,677 children age 17 and under, asking whether their child had ever seen or heard "any parents, guardians or any other adults in the home slap, hit, kick, punch or beat each other up."
The rate of exposure for children living with their two married biological parents was 19 out of every 1,000 children. For children living with a divorced or separated mother, the rate of exposure was seven times higher (144 children per 1,000). These comparisons are adjusted for differences across age, sex, race, family income, poverty status and parent's education level.
Nicholas Zill, psychologist and survey researcher who has written about indicators of family and child well-being for four decades, recently wrote on the blog for the Institute for Family Studies: "Experiencing family violence is stressful for children, undercuts their respect and admiration for parents who engage in abusive behavior and is associated with increased rates of emotional and behavioral problems at home and in school. For children of never-married mothers who witnessed family violence, 58 percent had conduct or academic problems. Among children of divorced or separated mothers, nearly half of those exposed to family violence, 48 percent, had had conduct or academic problems at school."
What are the long-term implications of adverse childhood experiences? Are children resilient? Do these experiences set the stage for greater difficulty later in life?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a robust study called Adverse Childhood Experiences that examined the links between traumatic childhood experiences (abuse, neglect and family dysfunction including divorce, incarceration, substance abuse and mental health issues) and current adult health and well-being. More than 17,000 adults participated.
Findings from the study indicate that exposure to adverse childhood experiences increases the risk for experiencing substance abuse, depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and premature death, in addition to experiencing difficulty in forming stable, healthy relationships in adulthood.
Studies show that safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments are among the most powerful and protective forces in a child's life. Healthy relationships at home, school and in the community help to nurture a child's physical and emotional growth. In order to thrive and grow into productive adults, children need these types of relationships from birth forward.
What can you do?
Create a safe and stable home for your children.
Actively engage in the lives of your children.
Learn skills for managing and resolving conflict.
Take a parenting class to learn appropriate parenting for the different ages and stages.
Play an active role in making sure your neighborhood is a safe place.
Being intentional about creating safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments promotes healthy child development. As a community, we all share responsibility for the well-being of our children.
Julie Baumgardner is president and CEO of First Things First. Contact her at julieb@firstthings.org.