Evidence has shown that exposure to situations of domestic violence can have serious negative effects on a child’s development. In addition, past research suggests that children who are exposed to interpersonal violence in the home may also learn to use violence in their own lives. This study explored the effect of witnessing violence in the home on aggressive behavior among children. The study utilized random samples of children, age 6 to 11 years, and their primary caregivers interviewed for the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) and controlled for influences such as parenting practices, community and social support available to the parent and child, child emotional problems, and other socioeconomic factors. Although children exposed to violence in the home are more likely to act out aggressively than are other children, the majority, approximately 68 percent of the children who witness violence in the home do not act out with aggressive behavior. Yet, there are important factors that can increase or reduce the negative impact of this experience. The study suggests that parenting practices can reduce or intensify conduct problems among children, and that children who are generally happy, with lower levels of depression and anxiety are less likely to have aggressive conduct problems than children with higher emotional anxiety. Consistent with previous research on gender differences in aggression, boys had higher odds of engaging in aggressive behavior than did girls, however the study did not find that exposure to violence in the home differentially impacted boys’ aggressive behavior over that of girls showing some similarity in experience. Study limitations are discussed. References