Adolescent-to-Parent Abuse as a Form of “Domestic Violence”

Abstract

Across the Global North, adolescent-to-parent abuse (APA) is becoming recognized as a significant social problem and is receiving attention from researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who work in the intersecting fields of juvenile justice, child protection, and domestic violence. One of the key questions shaping current debates concerns the extent to which APA maps onto the contours of domestic violence, in terms of research and theory, policy, and practice. In particular, to what extent can our established ways of working with domestic violence be applied when working with APA? This article begins by reviewing definitions and prevalence rates of APA. It then considers how the problem fits into the "family conflicts" and "gender-based violence" paradigms that are most frequently used to conceptualize domestic violence. The article then examines how APA represents a similar but distinct phenomenon to adult-instigated domestic violence and identifies how its departures represent particular challenges in working toward its elimination. The article concludes by reviewing intervention programs that work with APA and exploring some of the ways in which they adopt and reject elements of good practice from the domestic violence practice field.

Adolescent-to-Parent Violence: Translating Research into Effective Practice

“…This notion rests on the parallel themes evident in adolescentto-parent violence and intimate partner violence, including sex-based rates of perpetration (i.e., males are more often perpetrators) and use of similar victimization tactics such as threats, manipulation, and intimidation. Further, there are analogous behaviors seen in victim responses, including isolation and withdrawal, and equivalent impacts that include both immediate and long-term harm to victims and other family members (Cottrell and Monk 2004;Holt 2015). This perspective draws heavily from criminal justice data and qualitative studies that indicate lower overall prevalence rates and suggest that males are more likely to instigate adolescent-to-parent violence (Condry and Miles 2014;Holt 2015;Kethineni 2004;Routt and Anderson 2011;Walsh and Kreinert 2009).…”

“…Further, there are analogous behaviors seen in victim responses, including isolation and withdrawal, and equivalent impacts that include both immediate and long-term harm to victims and other family members (Cottrell and Monk 2004;Holt 2015). This perspective draws heavily from criminal justice data and qualitative studies that indicate lower overall prevalence rates and suggest that males are more likely to instigate adolescent-to-parent violence (Condry and Miles 2014;Holt 2015;Kethineni 2004;Routt and Anderson 2011;Walsh and Kreinert 2009). Proponents of this view urge researchers to use this framework to form research questions that will better inform how sex-based power dynamics maintain violence in families.…”

“…Proponents of this view urge researchers to use this framework to form research questions that will better inform how sex-based power dynamics maintain violence in families. However, they do not advocate for treating youth as criminals, recognizing that developmentally appropriate interventions are likely to be the most productive (Holt 2015).…”

“…Both carry unique advantages and drawbacks (Holt 2015). There is overwhelming evidence that adolescent-to-parent violence manifests differently across families and subcultures and that different kinds of empirical data offer unique and useful perspectives on the problem.…”

“…Adolescent-to-parent violence is reported to occur in between 5 and 22% of the population (Cornell and Gelles 1982;Holt 2015;Peek et al 1985;Routt and Anderson 2011); however, it is likely an underreported problem (Holt and Retford 2012). Although the full extent of this form of violence is unknown, it is clear that youth who exhibit violence toward caregivers represent an important population in need of effective prevention and intervention services.…”