Parents ‘abused by own children’ on rise

There has been an alarming rise in the number of children abusing their parents, with the majority suffering in silence because of shame and guilt.

One in seven calls made to Parentline last year were from parents who said they had been abused by their children. The abuse, which involves children up to and including adults, includes physical, emotional, and verbal abuse. The figure for people parenting alone is likely to be even higher.

Parentline chief executive Rita O’Reilly said calls to the helpline about child-to- parent violence had been increasing every year over the last five years.