Child-to-Parent Violence Dynamics
Summary
Child-to-parent violence (CPV) encompasses a spectrum of physical, verbal and psychological behaviours through which children and adolescents exert power over their parents or carers. Prevalence estimates vary across regions, but mounting evidence points to a rise in reported incidents, especially during periods of heightened stress such as pandemic lockdowns. CPV frequently emerges in adolescence and is shaped by an interplay of risk and protective factors. Key risk factors include exposure to inter-parental violence, punitive or inconsistent discipline, hostile attribution biases, peer influences and deficits in emotional regulation. Parental warmth, open communication and strong family bonds have been identified as protective buffers. Scholars have proposed typologies—offensive, defensive, affective and situational—that distinguish CPV by motivation, coercion level and emotional context. Conceptual challenges remain, notably the lack of a universal definition and standardised measures, which complicates comparisons across studies. Barriers to help-seeking for parents include stigma, denial and lack of specialised services. Intervention models increasingly emphasise early identification, trauma-informed family therapy and training in positive parenting practices. A global perspective underscores the need for culturally sensitive approaches and multi-system partnerships integrating social, educational and healthcare resources.
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Child-to-Parent Violence Dynamics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in child-to-parent violence dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Child-to-parent violence (CPV): A pattern of behaviours—physical, verbal or psychological—exerted by a child or adolescent to control or harm a parent or carer.
Scoping review: A form of literature synthesis that maps key concepts, evidence types and research gaps within a defined field.
Typology: A classification system that organises phenomena into distinct categories based on shared characteristics or motivations.
Bi-directional dynamics: Reciprocal influences in which both child and parent behaviours affect and reinforce one another over time.
References
- Child-to-Parent Violence and Abuse: A Scoping Review. Trauma Violence & Abuse (2024).
- “My [Search Strategies] Keep Missing You”: A Scoping Review to Map Child-to-Parent Violence in Childhood Aggression Literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2023).
- Child-to-parent Violence and Parent-to-child Violence: A Meta-analytic Review. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context (2019).
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