Gray Matter Reduction and Speech Delays in Three and Four Year-Old Children from Witnessing Domestic Violence Between 12 and 18 Months of Age.

摘要

Tomada, Polcari, Anderson, and Teicher (2012) found significant reductions in gray matter volume in the right lingual gyrus among teenagers who had witnessed domestic violence (DV) compared with a control group. Because the right lingual gyrus affects visual processing and phonological abilities, the present study utilized reliable and valid measures of these skills with three 3-4 year old children who had witnessed DV between ages 12-18 months, and three 3-4 year old children who had never witnessed DV, to determine if expected deficits occurred earlier than previously demonstrated. Consistent results from five of six measures indicated that, compared to non-witnesses, children who witnessed DV between the ages of 12-18 months demonstrated statistically significantly reduced and clinically meaningful deficits in specific visual processing and phonological abilities, all markers of reduced gray matter volume in the right lingual gyrus. Results support the notion that witnessing DV between 12-18 months is sufficient to impact brain development. This effect has been found in other studies with older children, but never with children so young. The results suggest that the adverse impact on brain development of witnessing DV may occur quite early in life. This is a new finding which increases the seriousness of preventing DV and removing children early from situations in which they may witness DV. This finding also suggests the possible need for early assessment and behavioral and/or special education interventions for young children who have witnessed DV.