CYP Now - Children living with 'toxic trio' issues more likely to be victims of crime

Children living in homes with an adult experiencing one or more of the "toxic trio" of mental illness, domestic abuse or substance misuse, are more likely to be victims of crime, research has found.

Children who witness domestic abuse, mental illness and substance abuse are likely to have more negative experiences, the ONS says. Picture: Adobe Stock

Analysis of annual crime survey data for the 12 months up to March 2019 by the Office for National Statistics found that an estimated 751,000 (19.3 per cent) children aged between 10 and 15 years old were living in households where at least one of the toxic trio issues was present.

Around 84,000 children in the age group (2.2 per cent) were estimated to have lived in households where an adult reported experiencing two of the toxic trio factors and 6,000 children (0.2 per cent) where all three factors were present.

According to the data, the majority of children living in a household where one or more of the toxic trio are present did not report victimisation or negative behaviours in the 12 months prior to being interviewed.

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