Adolescents' Physical Aggression Toward Parents in a Clinic-Referred Sample

Abstract

Physical aggression directed toward parents by their adolescents is a serious issue both practically and scientifically. In contrast to the extensive literature on other forms of aggression within families (e.g., marital violence, child physical abuse) as well as youth aggression construed broadly, a major gap exists in our knowledge of youth-to-parent physical aggression (YPA). In this study, we analyzed data on three forms of physical aggression (YPA, interparental, and parent-to-youth) from 232 mother-adolescent dyads drawn from a database of families referred for the clinical treatment of emotional and behavioral problems in their adolescent children. Analyses indicated that YPA is prevalent (57% by sons and 49% by daughters in 1 year) and significantly likely to co-occur with interparental and parent-to-youth aggression in the family. Follow-up analyses suggested important sex differences in these relations.

A New Trait-Based Model of Child-to-Parent Aggression

“…Most studies indicate boys as more likely to assault their parents (Boxer et al 2009;Gallagher 2008;Kennedy et al 2010;Routt and Anderson 2011;Walsh and Krienert 2007). In those studies, the percentage of males among adolescent perpetrators was between 60 and 80%.…”

Exploring Child-to-Parent Domestic Abuse: Offender Characteristics and DASH Individual Risk Factors Associated with Recidivism

“…A number of studies have shown that adolescents who abuse their parents display various risk factors that are likely to increase their violent behavior within and outside the family, such as higher levels of aggression, conduct problems and lower frustration tolerance [10,21]. Research highlights the increase likelihood of this intra-familial transmission of violence if the adolescent perpetrator has themselves witnessed parental DA [15,17,26,27].…”

Teorías sobre el inicio de la violencia filio-parental desde la perspectiva parental: un estudio exploratorio

“…Los hombres suelen emplear el abuso físico, mientras que las mujeres emplean el abuso verbal y emocional (Boxer, Gullan y Mahoney, 2009;Calvete et al, 2011).…”