The Association of Alcohol Use and Child-to-Parent Violence in Mexican Adolescents

Abstract

Background: Addictions can modify the dynamics, communication, and establishment of assertive relationships in the family nucleus, situations that can cause different types of family violence. A phenomenon of special interest is child-to-parent violence or children’s violence toward their parents. This type of violence can be exercised physically (hitting, kicking, shoving), verbally (shouting, blackmailing and insulting) and economically (using a card, stealing money or belongings from the parents). Although is generally supported that child-to-parent violence may be associated with alcohol-induced aggressiveness and lack of control, there is less evidence of a possible differentiation regarding the sex of the parents. Objective: Analyze the relationship and effect of alcohol on child-to-parent violence according to the parents’ sex. Methods: This was a predictive study of 265 adolescents between 12 and 19 years of age. Data were collected from social networks using two self-applied instruments (the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and the Conflict Tactics Scale: Parent-Child Version) programmed with the Survey Monkey® digital platform. Results: Of the adolescents studied, 66.8% had consumed alcohol at some time in their lives; of these, 6.6% had harmful consumption. A positive relationship was found between alcohol involvement scores and economic violence toward the mother and father. The former was supported by regression models where alcohol involvement predicted child-to-parent economic violence directed toward mothers and fathers. Conclusions: It is important to develop activities to prevent alcohol consumption as a risk factor for violence and to promote family integration in adolescents and their families.