Embattled families: Parents’ experiences of child to parent violence and abuse and of the non-violent resistance intervention
Kelly, Tara
Kelly, Tara
Loading...
Publication Date
2024-04-17
Type
Thesis
Downloads
Citation
Abstract
Despite extensive activity in the field of domestic violence in recent decades, the matter of child to parent violence and abuse has been largely ignored in policy, practice and research until relatively recently. While increased activity in this domain is noted, the fact remains that there is no clear conceptualisation of this form of family violence. Responses vary significantly depending on the professional lens through which it is viewed. It has been variously understood as domestic violence, a mental health concern or a criminal matter albeit without a legal remedy. Practitioners are without direction on how this should be understood and what is the most appropriate response. This mixed methods study, using a Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology, gives voice to twenty-three parents in Ireland who live with child to parent violence and abuse. It provides rich and detailed data on their daily lived experiences and how they manage to live with the abuse and/or violence from their child for whom they remain morally and legally responsible. The study takes parents on a journey from discussing and exploring their experiences, through the Non-Violent Resistance (NVR) intervention, (developed by Haim Omer and adapted for use in the Irish context by Declan Coogan) and reports on their views of what changes, if any, they experienced as a result of their engagement in NVR. The findings from this study provide insight into the experiences of parents and their needs for support in addressing the violence and/or abuse in their family homes. ‘Embattled’ is proposed as the core category – representing not just the lived experiences of parents – but also the lived experiences of their child and his/her siblings. This study contributes to a growing awareness and understanding of child to parent violence and abuse and an insight into NVR as an intervention.
Funder
Publisher
NUI Galway