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Abstract
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A review of the literature as well as of 300 impatient and outpatient cases was performed to assess the incidence of physical abuse of young healthy parents by their children. A higher than expected incidence was found. Four general areas of symptomatology are described. The greatest number of cases seems to arise in well-educated, White, nonpathological family situations, rather than in disturbed situations seen with other types of family violence. Suggestions as to sociologic and child rearing philosophies which may contribute to the development of the phenomena are made.
VioLit Summary:
OBJECTIVE:
This study by Charles was concerned with the incidence of non-homicidal physical abuse of young, healthy parents by their children in the pediatric or adolescent age range.
METHODOLOGY:
A non-experimental case study design was combined with a quasi-experimental cross-sectional design, with a non-probability sample of 200 in-patient children and adolescents in a private psychiatric facility, as well as 100 adult out-patients selected in an unreported fashion. Incidence of parent abuse was determined via case history reviews for the in-patient population, and face-to-face interviews of the adult population concerning their abusiveness as children toward their parents. Abusiveness was defined as non-homicidal, physical attacks upon the parents, and was measured by mention in case histories or as offered in interviews.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
Investigations found 33 cases of parent abuse amongst the in-patient population of children and adolescents, and 17 cases amongst the adults. Males accounted for approximately two-thirds of the abuse, with a relatively high age of first abusiveness. Females, whilst reporting a lower frequency of parent abuse, began such activities at an earlier age and were more likely to use household objects as weapons. This distribution held only for the adolescent age range; number of abusive children in the pre-adolescent age range was equally distributed between males and females. It was concluded that abusive children were significantly more frequently found among well-educated, White, non-pathological family situations.
EVALUATION:
Whilst the seemingly high incidence of parent abuse is a very interesting finding, the results of this study must be approached with some caution. By selecting patients of a psychiatric facility as subjects, the sample becomes one of extreme cases, and is therefore not representative of the general population. The sample selection bias, use of secondary analysis, reliance upon recall of long-past events and lack of any control group presents problems for this study, as does its lack of external validity. No alternative explanations of the results are offered, and the issue of implications of the findings is not addressed. It seems that a more thorough investigation with tighter methodologies would have been more successful. (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)
N1 - Call Number: F-02, AB-02
KW - Juvenile Violence
KW - Domestic Violence Victim
KW - Adult Victim
KW - Parent Victim
KW - Parent Abuse Victim
KW - Parent Abuse Offender
KW - Domestic Violence Causes
KW - Parent Child Relations
KW - Juvenile Offender
KW - Child Offender
KW - Child Violence
KW - Domestic Violence Offender
KW - Case Studies
KW - Male Offender
KW - Male Violence
KW - Female Offender
KW - Female Violence
KW - Juvenile Female
KW - Juvenile Male
KW - Child Female
KW - Child Female
KW - Domestic Violence Incidence and Prevalence |