Witnessing Domestic Abuse in Childhood as an Independent Risk Factor for Depressive Symptoms in Young Adulthood

• NCJ Number: 231249
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 34 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2010 Pages: 448-453
• Author(s): David Russell; Kristen W. Springer; Emily A. Greenfield
• Date Published: June 2010
• Length: 6 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01 DA017693
• Sponsoring Agency: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the relationship between retrospective reports of witnessing domestic abuse in childhood and levels of depressive symptoms in young adulthood.

Abstract

The results of the study provide evidence that frequently witnessing domestic abuse in childhood is an independent risk factor for depressive symptoms in young adulthood even when accounting for being the direct target of physical and/or sexual abuse, growing up in a non-two-parent household, and experiencing other family adversities and disadvantages. The study overall found linkages between exposure to domestic abuse in childhood and greater depressive symptoms in young adulthood. Prevalence estimates indicate that between 16 and 30 percent of all children in the United States witness domestic abuse. This study examined whether retrospective reports of witnessing abuse at varying levels of frequency is associated with depressive symptoms in young adulthood. Two waves of data were collected from a sample of 1,175 young adults from the South Florida Transitions Study; a longitudinal epidemiological investigation of mental health and substance use problems among young adults. Tables and references