Witnessing violence--aggression and anxiety in young children

This article provides estimates of the percentage of children aged 4 to 7 who witnessed violence at home. Concurrent, short-term (2 years later) and longer-term (4 years later) associations between witnessing violence and overt aggression, indirect aggression, and anxiety are examined.

The data are from the cross-sectional and longitudinal components of the first three cycles of Statistics Canada's National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth.

The proportion of children who witnessed violence at home was estimated using weighted cross-sectional data from 1998/99. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine concurrent, short-term and longer-term associations between witnessing violence and overt aggression, indirect aggression, and anxiety.

In 1998/99, an estimated 8% of children aged 4 to 7 were reported to have seen violent behaviour at home. Witnessing violence was concurrently associated with overt aggression for both sexes, indirect aggression among boys, and anxiety among girls. Witnessing violence was predictive of overt aggression two and four years later for both sexes. Girls also had high odds of exhibiting indirect aggression in 1996/97 and anxiety in 1998/99; for boys, elevated anxiety was observed in 1996/97.