A Deeper Understanding of Child to Parent Violence (CPV): Personal Traits, Family Context, and Parenting

Abstract

The increase in the rate of child to parent violence is a concern for society in various countries. Different psychological and personal characteristics tend to define the profile of the minors who commit this type of offense. Various social factors have been also related to this type of violence, including exposure to violence, the family environment and parenting. The relationship between child to parent violence and previous exposure to violence has yet to be clarified. Comparatively little research on this crime involving samples from juvenile court has been undertaken. This study uses a standardized measure (YLS/CMI) to determine the extent to which three of the most extensively studied groups of factors in child to parent violence—the family context, parenting and the adolescents’ psychological characteristics are relevant in the predicting this type of violence. The sample consisted of a total of 342 juveniles from a Juvenile Court in Eastern Spain, dealt with under the terms of Organic Law 5/2000 regulating the Criminal Responsibility of Minors. A child to parent violence group is compared with a control group committing the entire range of offenses. Personal variables, antisocial personality and exposure to violence play a clear role in the commission of this type of crime. Parenting has a determinant influence even when compared with family characteristics. What affects the commission of this type of violence in the most serious cases is therefore not having been exposed to it, but instead the individual’s upbringing and their current relationship with their parents.

Child-to-parent Violence Offenders (Specialists vs. Generalists): The Role of Direct Victimization at Home

“…In CPV, exposure to violence in the family context (including both direct and vicarious victimization) is a significant predictor of this type of violence (Gallego et al, 2019). Specifically, empirical studies with judicial populations point out that adolescents who attack their parents present higher levels of exposure to violence at home compared to other young offenders (Contreras & Cano-Lozano, 2016;Cuervo, 2021;Hernández et al, 2020). The relationship between CPV and exposure to violence at home has also been consistently observed in studies with community populations (e.g., Beckmann, 2020;Calvete, Orue, et al, 2015;Margolin & Baucom, 2014;Navas-Martínez & Cano-Lozano, 2022a;Simmons et al, 2020), finding, in addition, that direct victimization has a greater predictive capacity for CPV than vicarious victimization (e.g., Beckmann, 2020;Margolin & Baucom, 2014;Navas-Martínez & Cano-Lozano, 2022a).…”

“…One of the variables that has received greater empirical support in the scientific literature about CPV is exposure to violence at home (e.g., Beckmann, 2020;Contreras & Cano-Lozano, 2016;Cuervo et al, 2021;Hernández et al, 2020;Navas-Martínez & Cano-Lozano, 2022c;Simmons et al, 2020). However, the occurrence of exposure to violence at home, as a risk factor, does not explain, on its own, how this leads an adolescent to behave in a violent manner with his/ her parents.…”

Evidencing Predictors of Adolescent to Parent Violence Re-Offending Through Linkage of Police and Health Records

“…In the current study, almost 70% ( n = 523, 67%) of adolescents had been exposed to police reported parental IPV before age 13 years (with 28% ( n = 220) the victim of a family violence related verbal argument and 17% ( n = 135) the victim of a family violence assault offence prior to their first adolescent to parent violence offence). Across the body of adolescent to parent violence research evidence, exposure to violence at home (see reviews by Armstrong et al, 2018 and Simmons et al, 2018) and difficult family circumstances (Cuervo, 2021; Maroto & Cortés, 2018; Moulds, Mayshak, et al, 2019) are factors that are consistently related to adolescent to parent family violence. Higher rates of exposure to parental IPV and family violence related victimization have also been found amongst adolescent to parent violence offending groups when compared to adolescents involved in other types of offending (Contreras & Cano, 2015; Cuervo, 2021).…”

“…Across the body of adolescent to parent violence research evidence, exposure to violence at home (see reviews by Armstrong et al, 2018 and Simmons et al, 2018) and difficult family circumstances (Cuervo, 2021; Maroto & Cortés, 2018; Moulds, Mayshak, et al, 2019) are factors that are consistently related to adolescent to parent family violence. Higher rates of exposure to parental IPV and family violence related victimization have also been found amongst adolescent to parent violence offending groups when compared to adolescents involved in other types of offending (Contreras & Cano, 2015; Cuervo, 2021). The findings of the current study offer additional support for theoretical explanations suggesting an intergenerational association between children witnessing or experiencing family violence and then using violence against parents, other family members and in future intimate partner relationship (Harbin & Madden, 1979; Holt & Retford, 2013; Kaufman-Parks et al, 2018; Mahoney & Donnelly, 2000; Widom, 1989).…”

“…However, receiving a diagnosis for an anxiety, mood or other mental health disorder was only predictive of re-offending at a higher rate for adolescents not exposed to parental IPV. Prior studies have found that depression (Kennedy et al, 2010), having a depressed state (Cuervo, 2021) or an antisocial personality (Aguilar Ruiz & Pereda, 2021; Cuervo, 2021) were predictive of adolescent to parent violence. However, no prior studies have explored the association between mental health diagnoses and adolescent to parent family violence offending amongst adolescents exposed and not exposed to parental IPV.…”