Child to parent violence in adolescence: Environmental and individual characteristics

The study analysed the profile of adolescents who engage in verbal and physical violence against their parents. A sample of 1427 adolescents (728 girls, 682 boys) answered several personal and enviromental measures. The results showed that while less severe verbal abuse, such as yelling at parents, occurs in 65.8% of cases, physical attacks are much less frequent (7.2%). Violence against parents is associated with exposure to family violence, poor discipline exercised by parents, friends with behavioural problems, depressive symptoms, delinquent behaviour, drug use, impulsivity, beliefs justifying violence and grandiosity. Male adolescents use more physical violence while female adolescents perform more acts of verbal violence. Finally, mothers suffer more verbal violence than fathers.