A randomly selected sample of 3,355 secondary school students in Hong Kong was surveyed regarding their experience of family violence. Students who had experienced capital punishment, been beaten by parents for no apparent reason or been beaten to injury by family members in the preceding 3 months were at a significant disadvantage for a wide range of morbidity indicators. They included self-perceived bad health, anxiety and stress, somatic illnesses such as asthma and epigastric pain, injuries and accidents and hospitalization They were more likely to have poor familial relations and coping skills, and to take up habits that put their health at risk, such as smoking, consuming alcohol and fighting with others. Tables, references