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(WGHP) \u2014 It\u2019s the challenge you don\u2019t see coming but maybe you should have.<\/p>\n
Wake Forest University Associate Professor Leah Lakdawala did her research in the heights of the Andes Mountains in Peru, but the principles are likely to hold everywhere, and it all starts from a basic premise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of these adverse events that are out of our control, and they have real effects on our lives,\u201d Lackdawala said about the basis of her latest research.<\/p>\n
Lakdawala is an economist, and her latest paper is about how long-lasting, severe cold snaps affect families who are tethered to the land, particularly when it comes to domestic violence.<\/p>\n <\/a> Severe cold snaps create conditions for increased domestic abuse, Wake Forest researcher says (WGHP)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The basic concept is understandable to most.<\/p>\n \u201cIt creates the conditions that are ripe for conflict,\u201d Lakdawala said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just the financial stress, but it\u2019s also the fact that cold is something that can keep you indoors.\u201d<\/p>\n Most of us can realize that much, but Lakdawala wanted to put hard numbers to it.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can think of this as when the weather gets cold unexpectedly, it can kill the crops in the fields, and it can destroy the buds on fruit trees,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd on top of that, it can be really bad for livestock, too, and this has a huge consequence for these families who rely on agricultural income.\u201d<\/p>\n And that\u2019s where the anger comes from, and it\u2019s not just that it leads to violence, but it appears to be a particularly virulent variety.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then on top of that, the intensity of violence increased as well,\u201d Lakdawala said. \u201cSo there were new victims as a result of these cold snaps, but in addition to that, you had women who were already suffering even more.\u201d<\/p>\n See more on this subject in this edition of The Buckley Report.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/i><\/p>\n For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP. <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n