PEGS has revealed the results of its second parent survey, undertaken in the latter part of 2022.

We have also released the following in relation to our findings:

A quarter of parents experiencing abuse from their own child say the violent, harmful or coercive behaviours began before the age of six.

Despite a commonly-held misconception that teenagers are responsible for the majority of Child to Parent Abuse cases, this is the second year in a row that a survey undertaken by social enterprise PEGS revealed many parents experiencing physical, verbal or other forms of abuse when their child was five or younger.

There has been an increase in awareness around this form of domestic abuse in recent years – with the PEGS team working with more than 3,000 parents across the UK and training hundreds of frontline professionals.

As part of their efforts to educate decision-makers and shine a light on Child to Parent Abuse, the team asked parents to share an insight into the behaviours they’re experiencing, the impact of these behaviours, and what type of professional support they’ve requested.

The Winter 2022 survey (the second of its kind run by PEGS) showed a worrying two thirds of parents have had to call the police to de-escalate at least one incident (a rise from 57% in the previous year’s survey), and a quarter have called police at least five times because of fears over their safety.

Child to Parent Abuse can take many forms including physical, verbal, economic, digital, and coercion. Traditionally, this type of domestic abuse was thought to be most prevalent among teenagers – but research and anecdotal evidence now shows abuse is more likely to start earlier on in life, and there are also a proportion of adult offspring (18+) abusing their parents.

Other findings from the anonymous survey included:

·       More than half of parents report being physically attacked at least once a week.

·       74% of working parents have had to reduce their hours or leave work altogether because of the abuse they are experiencing at home.

·       30% changed their mind about contacting a professional in case their other children were taken away.

·       Sexualised behaviours (including using explicit language) are being experienced by 17% of respondents.

·       13% of children have tried to strangle or suffocate another child living in the home.

·       Almost half of respondents struggled with abuse for at least three years before seeking outside help.

·       68% didn’t feel they received the help they needed when they contacted a professional.