Children’s sense of threat from parental fighting determines trauma symptoms
If children feel threatened by even very low levels of violence between their parents, they may be at increased risk for developing trauma symptoms, new research suggests.
A study by SMU psychologists found that children who witness violence between their mother and her intimate partner report fewer trauma symptoms if they don't perceive the violence as threatening. The research highlights the importance of assessing how threatened a child feels when his or her parents are violent toward one another.