Jul 10, 2015 11:15 AM EDT
New research suggests that strong relationships with family members can help young people who witnessed parental domestic violence growing up.
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Researchers from the University of Limerick found that these strong bonds can help raise self-esteem and reduce anxiety for some young people with lived experiences of domestic violence.
"Research has previously shown that strong social bonds can act as a beneficial psychological resource, especially in times of need," researcher Catherine Naughton said in a statement. "In this study we investigated whether family bonds could help the self-esteem and anxiety of young people who had been exposed to domestic violence between their parents or caregivers whilst growing up."
For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from 465 people between the ages of 17 and 25 years old. The volunteers completed an online survey which asked about their experiences of parental/caregivers' domestic violence, family bonds and psychological wellbeing.
Their findings show that exposure to parental or caregivers' domestic violence was associated with reduced self-esteem, increased anxiety and weaker family bonds in young adults when compared to those who grew up in non-affected homes.
However, some young adults who had strong family bonds showed increased self-esteem and reduced anxiety. THe buffering effect of strong family bonds was seen when the domestic violence between their parents/caregivers was reported as either physical or psychological violence.
"Although strong family bonds can help raise self-esteem and reduce anxiety for some young people who grow up in homes affected by domestic violence sadly the majority are likely to report weak family bonds," Naughton said. "Therefore they are unable to benefit from the psychological benefits strong family bonds provide."
The findings were presented at the British Psychological Society's Psychology of Women Section's annual conference being held in Windsor.
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