Children in homes where yelling and physical abuse are common may experience major depression in their 30s, according to a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Kids with fighting parents are more than three times as likely to suffer major depression or engage in substance abuse, and are more than twice as likely to be unemployed.
The study's author, Dr. Helen Reinherz of the Simmons College of Social Work in Boston, said the emotional stress of parental conflict impacts children for life.
"The work highlights the need for parents to learn to talk to each other in productive ways," she said. "The family is such an important crucible for the development of children."
— Josh Montez
