That question has always bothered me, both for the gender bias and also because it assumes an adverse childhood experience only if a child witnesses their mother harmed often, or repeatedly hit "for at least a few minutes." What if a parent was hit, but not “repeatedly hit for at least few minutes?"
A few more updated versions include:
- Has your child ever witnessed adults in the home hitting, slapping, kicking or physically threatening each other? (from the Whole Child Assessment which is being used by pediatricians to screen for ACEs at Loma Linda University.)
- To the best of your knowledge, has this child EVER experienced any of the following? --Saw or heard parents or adults slap, hit, kick punch one another in the home (2016 National Survey of Children's Health, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and conducted by the US Census Bureau)
- Your child saw or heard household members hurt or threaten to hurt each other (Center for Youth Wellness)