Almost 2,000 calls to parents' helpline over violent and aggressive children

One in every 10 callers to Parentline now reference their child’s anxiety as the reason for the call.

Physically violent and aggressive children were the biggest single cause of calls to Parentline from worried parents in 2022.

The national parent helpline was “inundated” with calls from parents experiencing abuse from their children in 2022.

Around 1,991 of the total calls to Parentline in 2022 related to physical violence and aggression, with 34% of parents contacting the charity reporting “anger, aggression, and abusive behaviours”.

Parentline CEO Aileen Hickie, who will release the 2022 figures in full later this month, said: “Child to parent violence continues to be a hugely worrying issue for parents all over Ireland.

“Parentline, which offers non-violent resistance programmes to parents dealing with this form of domestic violence, was inundated with requests for the programme in 2022.”

She said that while there are varying degrees of child to parent violence, “ultimately it leaves parents in fear — in their own home — of their own child”.

Ms Hickie said the charity has had to put 20% more of its non-violent resistance programmes in place for parents than the previous year.

The programmes are intended to help parents address issues including aggression, anger, physical violence, verbal abuse, coercion, controlling behaviours, intimidation, school refusal, and damage to property.

A further 7.4% of callers to the charity were concerned about school refusal.

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A report to be published by Parentline later in May analysing the trends and statistics from 2022, is based on the 5,857 calls logged last year.

While the volume of calls is approximately the same as that logged in 2021, the 40% increase in call numbers over 2020 has held firm.

Calls from fathers to the helpline service also increased markedly in 2022.

Nearly one in five callers to the helpline is now male, an increase of 25% on the number of men ringing Parentline in 2021.

“Twenty years ago, the only calls from fathers were concerning the parenting skills of their partners,” Ms Hickie said.

“So, things have moved on significantly and there's now a marked increase in paternal involvement with fathers expressing concern about their children and the issues that are affecting them.” 

She said another “more worrying” trend is the increase in calls from parents concerned at the levels of anxiety being displayed by their child or children.

One in every 10 callers to the helpline now reference their child’s anxiety as the reason for the call.

This is up 10.4% since 2021. Ms Hickie said: 

“Anxiety is a normal and natural occurrence

“But it can become overwhelming.

“Children can experience anxiety about different issues at different stages of their lives,” she said, but noted that the rise in calls relating to anxiety, self-harm and depression is “worrying”.

“Anxiety can interfere with a child's daily life and severe anxiety can harm a child's mental and emotional wellbeing and affect their self-esteem and confidence,” she added. 

She said that while calls about anxiety usually related to teenage children, the age at which anxiety is being flagged as an issue is now as low as seven.

The charity, set up in 1982 as a support group for new mothers with young babies, has grown into a national helpline.

As a result of the increase in calls during covid-19, the service is seeking more volunteers to cope with demand.

Parentline can be contacted during the day on 01 8733500.