Setting It Level · Viral Post Fact Check ·
Brain scans have revealed children living with unstable families have brain changes similar to combat soldiers after active duty.
What We Found
It's based on a real 2011 study in Current Biology from University College London and the Anna Freud Centre.
20 children with documented exposure to violence at home were compared with 23 matched peers. Shown angry faces, the exposed kids had more activity in the amygdala and anterior insula. Earlier scans of combat-exposed soldiers showed the same pattern.
The study measured brain activity, not permanent structural "changes." The sample was small, and it studied family violence (physical abuse, domestic violence), not just "unstable" families. The children were healthy, with normal anxiety levels.
If this is your home, there is help out there. The No Where Else initiative from Indigo Unlimited: https://nowhereelse.org. Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, 24/7: 1-800-422-4453. In immediate danger? Call 911.
Sources
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