The holidays are a time for family and friendship, and they happen to be fast approaching. With so much family time on top of the pressures of trying to make the holidays the best they can be, it is likely that some arguments will break out. University of New Hampshire's Crimes Against Children Research Center recently released a study with some statistics Aunties may want to keep in mind when keeping the peace this time of year.

Auntie, did you know that more than one in four children in the United States has been exposed to physical violence between their parents at home at some point in their lives? Did you also know that one in nine of those incidents happened in just the last year? This was discovered in a study of more than 4,500 children across the nation and was included in a new U.S. Department of Justice bulletin from the National Survey of Children Exposed to Violence. The study also found that 90 percent of the children exposed to violence were direct witnesses.

The study found that not all of the violence was between parents, but branched out to include siblings, teens, and even other relatives. Exposure to violence includes hearing it, being told about it, and seeing the aftermath of it in addition to actually witnessing it.  Lead author of the study, Sherry Hambly, says, “We want to encourage people who have contact with children in a variety of settings...to consider more comprehensive, collaborative assessments of the safety issues and needs of all family members.”

Of course, every Auntie hopes that her nieces and nephews aren’t among that one in four who is exposed to violence.  However, the numbers are staggering, so Aunties need to take Hambly’s words to heart. Witnessing violence can be truly traumatic for children. If you feel like you are going to argue with the parents of your nieces and nephews, take a step back and evaluate the situation.  If you think your nieces or nephews have already been exposed to violence at home, make sure you are there for them to help bring back a little holiday cheer into the season.


Published: October 26, 2011