Profiles of Adolescents who Abuse their Parents: A Gender-based Analysis

The article titled “Profiles of Adolescents who Abuse their Parents: A Gender-based Analysis” by Ana M. Martín and Helena Cortina from the Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain, focuses on adolescent-to-parent violence (APV), which is considered an understudied type of domestic violence​​. The study aimed to assess the differential profile of boys and girls who have and have not reported APV in a community sample, with a focus on differences in gender in initiating and maintaining offending behavior​​.

The study involved 341 high school students aged 14 to 20 years from various educational backgrounds and living situations. The participants completed a questionnaire covering aspects such as exposure to violence, parent-child relationships, self-concept, psychopathic traits, narcissism, sexism, drug use, academic performance, family structure, and mental health diagnosis​​.

The results indicated no significant association between gender and the frequency of violent behaviors or the number of APV behaviors. Insulting was the most common APV behavior. It was found that boys and girls differed in the variables that predicted APV. For boys, the predictors included suffering violence in the street, family self-concept, suffering violence in the classroom, social self-concept, hostile sexism, and frequency of drug use.

For girls, the predictors were suffering violence at home, seeing violence on TV, anger towards the father, suffering violence in the classroom, social self-concept, communication with the mother, and academic achievement. These differences underline the need for gender-specific approaches in addressing and preventing APV​​.

In conclusion, the study emphasizes the importance of a gender-based approach in understanding and addressing adolescent-to-parent violence. It highlights the different experiences and psychosocial factors that lead boys and girls to APV, suggesting that this understanding could contribute to designing more conclusive research and effective interventions

Reference

Martín, A.,M., & Cortina, H. (2023). Profiles of adolescents who abuse their parents: A gender-based analysis. [Perfiles de los adolescentes que maltratan a sus padres: un análisis con perspectiva de género] Anuario De Psicología Juridica, 33(1), 135-145. doi:https://doi.org/10.5093/apj2023a5