DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF CHILD-TO-PARENT VIOLENCE

The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of the abusive behavior towards parents in a sample of 30 adolescents who had committed a parent-abuse offense. For this purpose, it was used an ad hoc semi-structured interview with the juveniles, which included the following aspects: victim of the abuse, family structure, age of beginning of the abusive behavior, type of abuse exerted, as well as the frequency and reasons of violent episodes. Results revealed that most of abuser offenders began showing abusive behaviors at home when they were between 13 and 15 years old. A significant percentage of them had been aggressive before the age of 14, the threshold at which the penal responsibility is required. The mother was the most frequent victim, independently of the abuser's gender. Notwithstanding, there were some differences in the victim of the abuse depending on the type of household. No differences regarding the type of abuse exerted between boys and girls were found. Violent episodes at home were likely to occur several times a week, with different reasons for these violent episodes. Results are discussed highlighting their implications for prevention, early detection, and treatment programs with these aggressive adolescents.