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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this article by Wells was to examine the phenomenon of adolescent violence against parents in terms of various causal factors.
METHODOLOGY:
The author followed a non-experimental design in which data were collected from two sources. Past research on adolescent violence against parents was reviewed. In addition, case materials and interviews with social workers at two facilities offering services to children and adolescents were examined.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The author was primarily concerned with adolescent violence against parents which manifests itself in the form of physical abuse of a parent in an impulsive or situational episode based on past or present circumstances. Even though child to parent violence has a relatively low rate of occurrence in reported statistics, the author suggested that it has been a neglected are of research. Often times, incidents of child to parent violence go unreported by police and other public authorities and as a result, the statistics are underrepresentative. Moreover, children tend to model their behavior after the example set by their parents and parental violence against child, as well as spouse-to-spouse violence, is very common. There is greater concern for child to parent violence when children reach adolescence since it is this stage in their developmental career that they are most threatening. The author pointed out, however, that most children pass through this period without committing violence against a parent or otherwise losing control.
In terms of the children who do not survive their adolescent years without committing violence against their parents, the author provided numerous explanations. Typically, there are differences in the stage development between parent and child. Both child and parent are at divergent points in their lives and the different life circumstances of each tend to set the stage for future conflict. In addition, when parents and children are unable to communicate with one another based on cognitive differences in understanding, tension arises. In situations where violence erupts and the child strikes the parent, each feels victimized by the other. Additionally, the author contends than an adolescent normally refrains from striking a parent in conflict situations because of the power dynamics of the child-parent relationship, as well as norms and values regarding corporal punishment as a means of family maintenance. Although adolescents who assault their parents are frequently victims of abuse or neglect, they don't fit the common conception of the innocent victim provoked to abuse their abuser. In contrast, they are often physically larger than their parent and normally seen as the perpetrator because the parent's role is usually ignored.
Another explanation of child on parent violence stems from situations in which the parent and child both feel that the other owes more than they are paying out. The author explained that in this situation the parent feels as if the child isn't living up to their expectations and the child is wanting of love, nurturance, freedom, gifts, or understanding. The child that runs away from the situation at home takes on a deviant label, yet is still frustrated. On the other hand, the parents feel guilty, inadequate, and helpless. The author pointed out that wealthier families are able to avoid this breaking point by having the means to avoid physical conflict by seeking outside help or sending the child to a boarding school or into foster care.
The author discussed the family interactional system as a further explanation of child on parent violence. When there is conflict within parental relationships regarding parenting techniques, children model their behavior accordingly. Moreover, neglected or emotionally abandoned children have been found to utilize aggressive behavior as a defense against despair and depression. The author found that when the adolescent strikes out at the parent it is normally a way in which repressed or suppressed anger or resentment is handled. Furthermore, the author suggested that adolescents with violent histories many times lack the social skills to cope with the problems they are bound to face.
The author concluded by offering some patterns of situations in which violence against parent is likely to occur. In the case of older parents (50-60) where the mother is overprotective and the father is typically absent both physically and emotionally, the mother is singled out for abuse by the child. Violence also erupts when the child suffers some from of mental disability and there is low frustration tolerance and an inability to solve problems through conventional means. An additional indication of a potentially violent family situation is when there has been emotional and/or physical abandonment or neglect and the adolescent views violence as a means of retaliation. The author also described situations in which parents who fail to provide adequate protection and structure become victims of violence when their children reach adolescence. In conclusion, the author noted that the state is set for violence against parents when the abuser is a child rather that an adolescent.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The author suggested that prevention must incorporate both recognition of potentially violent situations and intervention when family violence initially surfaces. Effective intervention should be family centered and encourage the unlearning of violence as the only means of problem solving.
EVALUATION:
The author presents an interesting assessment of some critical developmental as well as structural issues relating adolescent violence against parents. The different causal explanations are examined in a clear and concise discussion. Overall, this study provides an important theoretical bas on which a model of child-to-parent violence can be developed and effective prevention strategies formulated. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Family History
KW - Domestic Violence Causes
KW - Juvenile Offender
KW - Juvenile Violence
KW - Domestic Violence Offender
KW - Parent Abuse Causes
KW - Parent Abuse Offender
KW - Parent Child Relations
KW - Parent Offender
KW - Parent Victim
KW - Domestic Violence Effects
KW - Domestic Violence Victim
KW - Child Abuse Effects
KW - Child Abuse Offender
KW - Child Abuse Victim
KW - Child Emotional Abuse Effects
KW - Child Emotional Abuse Offender
KW - Child Emotional Abuse Victim
KW - Child Neglect Victim
KW - Child Neglect Offender
KW - Child Neglect Effects
KW - Child Physical Abuse Effects
KW - Child Physical Abuse Offender
KW - Child Physical Abuse Victim
KW - Child Victim
KW - Child Offender
KW - Child Violence
KW - Juvenile Victim
KW - Victim Turned Offender
KW - Adult Parent
KW - Adult Offender
KW - Adult Victim
KW - Adult Violence |