Background: Children are more likely to be exposed to violence and crime than adults
are. An experience of violence can lead to lasting physical, mental, and emotional harm,
whether the child is a direct victim or a witness. Aim of the study; was to determine the
prevalence of domestic violence among preschool children. Subjects & methods: Research
design: cross-section descriptive study. Setting; this study conducted at private nursery
schools at Talkha city. Subjects composed of 220 mothers and 220 children. Tools of data
collection: three tools were used: a structured interview questionnaire, attitude scale for
mothers, and observation assessment sheet for the child. Results; revealed that the majority
of children were exposed to violence at home last month. Nearly three quarters of children
exposed to physical assault, and half of them exposed to emotional violence, while nearly one
third of children suffered from negligence. More than two third of the mothers used two and
three types of violence, towards their children. The majority of mothers used physical and
emotional punishments towards their children once or more per day. Conclusion: the
prevalence of violence directed towards children was very high. Recommendations: Health
education programs for the new couples about child rearing, and educate parents how to
manage child's wrong behaviors, and not to use violence as a method of punishment.