Son-to-mother violence in the aftermath of domestic violence: Experiences of sons attending group violence prevention programs

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Venables, Jemma
Young, Amy
O’Leary, Patrick
Dragiewicz, Molly
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2025
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There is growing acknowledgment that son-to-mother violence can occur as part of domestic and family violence (DFV) dynamics. DFV can significantly impact mother–child relationships. This situation is complex because mother–child relationships have different power dynamics and responsibilities than intimate adult partnerships. Recognition of and responses to adolescent-to-parent violence (APV) are inconsistent in service and justice systems, often leaving families under-serviced. There is a dearth of evidence on the effectiveness of programs specific to APV. This article analyses participants’ experiences in two APV reduction group programs. Both of the programs focused on encouraging accountability, addressing trauma, rebuilding attachment between sons and mothers, challenging harmful gendered attitudes, and increasing mothers’ parenting confidence. We report on a thematic analysis of interviews with 15 sons aged 12–17 whose mothers had experienced DFV from adult male partners. The participants were taken from the two different group programs. Our findings highlight sons’: 1) complex needs and trauma; 2) feelings of injustice and shame; 3) uncertainty regarding program aims; 4) connection with other young people; and 5) increased empathy for their mothers. Our findings can inform more responsive policy and practice interventions that engage this vulnerable cohort, address trauma, and prevent future violence.

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Children and Youth Services Review

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169

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© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Social work

Sociology

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Venables, J; Young, A; O’Leary, P; Dragiewicz, M, Son-to-mother violence in the aftermath of domestic violence: Experiences of sons attending group violence prevention programs, Children and Youth Services Review, 2025, 169, pp. 108063

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