Witnessing violence between parents as a child linked to higher risk of heart disease

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-12-21 03:00

Australia; International; WA

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Children who witness violence between their parents still feel the effects decades later, with a team of international and Australian researchers finding a link to an increased risk of heart disease later in life. Over nine years, the researchers followed the heart health of over 10,000 people aged 45+ who had filled out a questionnaire about whether they experienced violence between their parents as a child and how often. Looking at who developed heart disease during the study, the researchers calculated those exposed to physical violence between their parents had a 36% greater risk. They say those exposed to interparental violence were more likely to have depressive symptoms as an adult, however this only explained about 11% of the link between interparental violence and heart disease later in life.