Girls, boys affected differently by witnessing parental violence

http://blog.case.edu/think/2014/12/02/cwru_study_finds_girls_boys_affected_differently_by_witnessing_parental_violence

Dec. 2, 2014

Witnessing violence by parents or a parent’s intimate partner can trigger for some children a chain of negative behaviors that follows them from preschool to kindergarten and beyond, according to researchers at Case Western Reserve University.

But girls and boys can be affected differently, researchers concluded. While girls tend to internalize their exposure to such violence, boys are more inclined to act out aggressively, said Megan R. Holmes, PhD, MSW, assistant professor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve and the study’s lead investigator.

While the reactions may differ, both can result in poor social development, she said.

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Most children fell within normal ranges for social development and aggression, Holmes said. Yet 14 percent were of clinical concern for aggressive behavior, and 46 percent displayed fewer social skills than their peers during preschool. During kindergarten years, aggression increased to 18 percent, and 34 percent still showed fewer social skills.
Differences in how boys and girls reacted to seeing violent episodes also emerged.

“The exposure occurring when the child was of school age predicted poor social skills for girls but not for boys,” Holmes said. The findings suggest school-age (kindergarten) girls may be more likely to struggle with the social skills needed to interact with others and succeed in school.

Meanwhile, boys were more likely to display aggressive behavior starting in preschool as a result of their exposure to the violence. This set off a chain reaction resulting in both increased aggression and poorer social skills during kindergarten and beyond. The concern is the same: that aggression hinders developing social skills.

“This aggression tends to isolate and prevent healthy interactions with other children,” Holmes said.

Early years are critical to a child’s development, yet the negative effects may not surface until children are older, she said.

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