Family Environment and Child-To-Parent Violence: The Role of Emotional Insecurity.

Publisher: Sage Publications Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8700910 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1552-6518 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 08862605 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Interpers Violence Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications
Original Publication: [Beverly Hills, CA] : Sage Publications, [c1986-

Domestic Violence*/psychology ; Parent-Child Relations*; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aggression/psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Mothers ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Violence ; Young Adult

Child-to-parent violence (CPV) constitutes a serious social problem due to its short and long-term consequences, which not only directly affect the victim but also generate a rupture of the family system. In this study, direct and indirect effects of exposition to violence within the family, insecurity in the family system (manifested as disengagement and/or preoccupation), and justification of violence on CPV toward mothers and fathers were analyzed with structural equation modeling (SEM). Davies and Cummings emotional security theory (1994) was applied. A total of 904 high school students between 13 and 20 years old participated in this study. Information regarding each participant's committed CPV was obtained from the Child-to-Parent Aggression Questionnaire. Emotional insecurity was assessed with the Security in the Family System scale. To assess exposition to violence and justification of violence, the Exposure to Violence Questionnaire and Irrational Beliefs Inventory for Adolescents were applied, respectively. Strong relationships between exposition to violence within the family, emotional insecurity, justification of violence, and CPV toward mothers and fathers were observed. The results show that adolescents who are exposed to violence at home are more aggressive in the future. In addition, this relationship is mediated, at least in part, by the justification of violence and emotional insecurity. These results suggest that prevention and treatment of CPV aggressors should focus on improving security within the survivors' family system as well as modifying attitudes toward violence.

Keywords: adolescents; child-to-parent violence; emotional insecurity; exposition to violence; family environment; violence justification

Date Created: 20210412 Date Completed: 20220728 Latest Revision: 20220821

20240105

10.1177/08862605211006370

33840296