May 18, 2006

Study Shows U.S. Homes More Violent

Nearly 30 percent of America’s children live in violent homes, a much more sizeable number than previously reported, according to a new study in the Journal of Family Psychology.

Of the approximately 52 million children under the age of 17 who live in dual-partner homes in the U.S., 15.5 million have witnessed some form of violence between cohabitating adults. Because the most commonly cited estimate of the number of children exposed to family violence is based on research published more than 20 years ago, researchers from Southern Methodist University, the University of Houston and the University of Texas Health Science Center reinvestigated the prevalence of family violence in the U.S. and determined that the old figure of 3 million to 10 million children exposed to domestic violence was too low. Moreover, the study found that 7 million children — twice as many children than previously thought — live with families in which severe violence occurs.

Renee McDonald

Ernest Jouriles

In the new study, researchers conducted home interviews with 1,615 married or cohabitating couples. Each partner was asked about the occurrence of 11 violent behaviors taken from the Conflict Tactics Scale and whether they or their partner had perpetrated one or more of these actions. The scale moves from modest to severely violent acts, beginning with throwing objects to the ultimate act of using a knife or gun on a partner.

Couples were considered violent if either member reported the occurrence of one or more of the 11 violent acts. To arrive at a national figure, researchers extrapolated from the sample using census data. Other important findings from the study include:

• 21 percent of American couples engage in domestic violence.
• Nearly 60 percent of these couples have minor children.
• More women than men commit acts of partner violence.

Experts on family violence say physical violence between adults in the home increases children’s risk for a variety of antisocial behaviors ranging from learning difficulties to juvenile delinquency to committing domestic violence as adults.

To read the study or speak to the researchers, go to www.smu.edu/experts or call SMU News & Communications at 214-768-7650.

####

Media Contact:
Meredith Dickenson
SMU News & Communications
mmdicken@smu.edu
Tele. 214-768-7654