Risk factors for child‑to‑parent violence: A scoping review

Abstract

Purpose: Child-to-parent violence (CPV) is a socially relevant domestic violence due to its exponential prevalence and negative individual, family, and social consequences. This scoping review aimed to analyze the risk variables involved in CPV and establish the relationships between them and the differences in these factors depending on the sex of the victim and the aggressor. Methods: Studies from 2012 to 2022 were reviewed through the following databases: Scopus, Web of Science, Dialnet Plus, ERIC, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, Psychology Database and Pubmed. A total of fifty-two studies were included. Results: The risk factors found are individual (e.g., aggressor’s personality characteristics), familial (e.g., the parents’ educational style), and social (e.g., peer violence). The study indicates differences in risk variables depending on the sex of the aggressor and the victim, such as the aggressor’s personality characteristics, the influence of child abuse, or dating violence in adolescents. Conclusion: Although the studies identified differences in risk factors for CPV depending on sex, further research is required to clarify the contradictory findings. This review has certain limitations, such as the predominance of cross-sectional studies and the focus on research carried out in Spain. Nonetheless, it carries practical implications as it expands our understanding of the risk factors associated with CPV. This knowledge can be utilized to develop educational and clinical prevention programs that take these factors into consideration.