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Risk Factors for Child-to-Parent Violence

  • International Research on Aggression and Violence
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Journal of Family Violence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

One of the goals of the present work was to study the relationship between child-to-parent violence (CPV) and other types of intra-family violence such as inter-parental violence and parent-to-child violence, in order to verify which of these two types of domestic violence is a more relevant risk factor for CPV and to analyze the presence of gender differences in the bi-directionality of violence. Another purpose was to identify the psychological profile of perpetrators. The sample comprised 485 adolescents from the province of Gipuzkoa (Spain), of both sexes, taken from nine schools and aged 12 to 18. Parent-to-child violence and inter-parental violence were significant risk factors for CPV. Evidence was found in support of a social learning taking into account gender: boys were more likely to be physically aggressive toward the mother if she was also physically victimized by the father. Differences were found in the profiles of adolescents who behave violently toward their parents (inappropriate upbringing by mother, social maladjustment, and drug abuse) depending on gender.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Psychology and Behavior Sciences Methodology, University College of Psychology, University of the Basque Country, Avda. Tolosa 70, 20018, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain

    Izaskun Ibabe

  2. University College of Teaching Training, University of the Basque Country, Lejona, Spain

    Joana Jaureguizar

  3. University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Peter M. Bentler

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  1. Izaskun Ibabe
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  2. Joana Jaureguizar
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  3. Peter M. Bentler
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Correspondence to Izaskun Ibabe.

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Author Note

This research was supported by a grant from the University of the Basque Country, Spain (EHU06/95) to the first and second authors. The first author would like to thank the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, for their hospitality during her sabbatical visit, which greatly facilitated the completion of this manuscript.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 1 Intra-family violence scale
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Table 2 Correlation matrix between observed variables taking account of the full sample
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Ibabe, I., Jaureguizar, J. & Bentler, P.M. Risk Factors for Child-to-Parent Violence. J Fam Viol 28, 523–534 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-013-9512-2

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