Using Trauma Informed Treatment Models with Child-to-Parent Violence

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increase in the reporting of youth as perpetrators of family violence. However, despite the relatively high prevalence of child-to-parent violence, little is known about this pervasive family problem and the effectiveness of intervention strategies. The purpose of this article is to highlight the effectiveness of the current interventions used to treat child-to-parent violence and recommend the inclusion of trauma-informed assessment and intervention strategies. When working with child-to-parent violence, interventions should be informed by the correlates of such violence rather than the notion that the parent–child dynamic mirrors that of the adult intimate relationship. Effective treatments must address the multiple determinants of child-to-parent violence and offer broad level, complex interventions that consider childhood traumatic experiences and the role they play in child-to-parent violence.