Minors as perpetrators of domestic violence

Abstract

Child to parent abuse is increasingly becoming an insidious family problem which involves all society. It is the psychological, emotional and financial abuse from the minor to gain authority and control over parents/caregivers (Contreras & Cano, 2014). As documented in different literature, it is generally an understudied and underreported problem. This study provides an extensive review of the related expert literature and presents and discusses the findings of a series of open-ended, semi-structured interviews, with seven adult participants who as minors were abusive towards their parents/caregivers. These interviews were intended to determine the factors leading to child to parents/caregivers abuse in the participants’ narratives. Lack of adequate parental skills, child abandonment, substance abuse and addiction, peer pressure, problematic school experiences and mental health and a criminogenic background in the family also emerged as important factors contingent upon the participants’ abusive behaviour. The dissertation rounds up with various policy and service development recommendations with the aim of better focusing on, preventing and responding to the psycho-social factors which lead minors to abuse of their parents/caregivers.