Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Violence Against Grandparents: Towards a Life Course Approach

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Violence Against Older Women, Volume I

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Victims and Victimology ((PSVV))

Abstract

It is curious that while the term ‘granny’ has often been used as a catchy synonym for ‘older people’ in research that investigates elder abuse, very little research has ever actually explored the specific dynamic of violence against grandparents. The chapter begins with an overview of existing research on the problem, before discussing how it is marginalised from both ‘elder abuse’ and ‘domestic abuse’ policy discourse. Introducing the life course approach, this chapter then explains why it is essential to conceptualise violence against grandparents within a critical developmental framework which takes account of intersecting dimensions of power. This chapter then explores two specific contexts that are important in understanding the experience, management and response to violence against grandparents: (i) when the grandchild is 17 years or younger, and (ii) when the relationship involves kinship care.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    See, for example, Granny-battering (Burston 1975), Granny Abuse (Eastman 1988), Saving Granny from the Wolf: Elder Abuse and Neglect (Moskowitz 1998).

  2. 2.

    For example, see McManus et al. (2017) on the problematic application of the DASH risk assessment tool in cases of family violence, including violence towards grandparents, where many of the risk indicators are not used by police because they are felt to be irrelevant to such contexts.

  3. 3.

    For example, in cases that involve a child who is behaving violently towards an adult family member with whom they share the same household and who has parental responsibility towards them.

  4. 4.

    Indeed, the term ‘domestic violence’ (which preceded the more contemporary term ‘domestic abuse’) first emerged in the 1970s in recognition of men’s physical aggression against women. Debate continues as to whether its more recent broadening out is appropriate for other kinds of abusive relationships (e.g. see Kelly and Westmarland 2014) including those that involve children’s use of violence (e.g. see Holt 2016).

  5. 5.

    For example, see Hunter and Piper’s (2012) discussion on the use of injunctions in cases where the perpetrator is legally a child, which the authors argue cannot be used because the needs of the child, and the potential harm produce by the injunction, must take priority in judicial considerations.

References

  • Administration on Aging. (1998, September). The national elder abuse incidence study. Final report. Available from: https://www.acl.gov/sites/default/files/programs/2016-09/ABuseReport_Full.pdf. Accessed 1 October 2017.

  • Anderson, K. L. (2010). Conflict, power, and violence in families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(3), 726–742.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, G. S., Cain, C. M., Wylie, L. E., Muftić, L. R., & Bouffard, L. A. (2018). Risk factor profile of youth incarcerated for child to parent violence: A nationally representative sample. Journal of Criminal Justice, 58, 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biggs, S., Manthorpe, J., Tinker, A., Doyle, M., & Erens, B. (2009). Mistreatment of older people in the United Kingdom: Findings from the first national prevalence study. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 21(1), 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bows, H. (2018). Domestic homicide of older people (2010–15): A comparative analysis of intimate-partner homicide and parricide cases in the UK. The British Journal of Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcy108.

  • Breman. R. (2014). Peeling back the layers: Kinship care in Victoria ‘complexity in kinship care’. Research report, Melbourne, Baptcare Research Unit in partnership with OzChild and Anchor.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breman, R., & MacRae, A. (2017, September). ‘It’s been an absolute nightmare’: Family violence in kinship care. Research report, Baptcare Research Unit. Available from: https://www.baptcare.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/19584/BC0857-RESEARCH-Nightmare-FamilyViolenceKinshipCareVIC-A4-44pp-FA-3.pdf. Accessed 14 September 2018.

  • Brownell, P., Berman, J., Nelson, A., & Fofana, R. C. (2003). Grandparents raising grandchildren: The risks of caregiving. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 15, 5–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bullock, K., & Thomas, R. L. (2007). The vulnerability for elder abuse among a sample of custodial grandfathers: An exploratory study. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 19(3–4), 133–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burston, G. R. (1975). Granny-battering. British Medical Journal, 3(5983), 592.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, A., Williams, J., & Wydall, S. (2016). Access to justice for victims/survivors of elder abuse: A qualitative study. Social Policy and Society, 15(2), 207–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, R. C., & Medina-Ariza, J. (2001). Results from an elder abuse prevention experiment in New York City. Washington: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Day, S. E., & Bazemore, G. (2011). Two generations at risk: Child welfare, institutional boundaries, and family violence in grandparent homes. Child Welfare, 90(4), 99–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eastman, M. (1988). Granny abuse. Community Outlook, 15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H., & Giele, H. Z. (2009). Life course studies: An evolving field. In G. H. Elder & J. Z. Giele (Eds.), The craft of life course research (pp. 1–24). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farmer, E., Selwyn, J., & Meakings, S. (2013). ‘Other children say you’re not normal because you don’t live with your parents’: Children’s views of living with informal kinship carers—Social networks, stigma and attachment to carers. Child & Family Social Work, 18(1), 25–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gadd, D., Fox, C., & Corr, M. (2012). Findings and recommendations from the From Boys to Men Project. From Boys to Men Project: Key Findings and Recommendations Conference. University of Manchester, UK. Accessed 31 October 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamby, S., Smith, A., Mitchell, K., & Turner, H. (2016). Poly-victimization and resilience portfolios: Trends in violence research that can enhance the understanding and prevention of elder abuse. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 28(4–5), 217–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayslip, B., Jr., & Kaminski, P. L. (2005). Grandparents raising their grandchildren: A review of the literature and suggestions for practice. The Gerontologist, 45(2), 262–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holt, A. (Ed.). (2015). Working with adolescent violence and abuse towards parents: Approaches and contexts for intervention. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holt, A. (2016). Adolescent-to-parent abuse as a form of “domestic violence”: A conceptual review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 17(5), 490–499.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holt, A., & Shon, P. C. (2018). Exploring fatal and non-fatal violence against parents: Challenging the orthodoxy of abused adolescent perpetrators. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 62(4), 915–934.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Home Office. (2013). Guidance: Domestic violence and abuse. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-violence-and-abuse. Accessed 14 September 2018.

  • Home Office. (2015). Information guide: Adolescent-to-parent violence and abuse (APVA). Available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/420963/APVA.pdf. Accessed 13 September 2018.

  • Home Office. (2016). Ending violence against women and girls strategy 2016–2020. Available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/522166/VAWG_Strategy_FINAL_PUBLICATION_MASTER_vRB.PDF. Accessed 14 September 2018.

  • Hunter, C., & Piper, C. (2012). Parent abuse: Can law be the answer? Social Policy and Society, 11(2), 217–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, L., & Westmarland. (2014). Time for a rethink: Why the current government definition of domestic violence is a problem. Trouble & Strife. Available from: https://www.troubleandstrife.org/2014/04/time-for-a-rethink-why-the-current-government-definition-of-domestic-violence-is-a-problem. Accessed 13 September 2018.

  • McGeeney, E., Barakat, F., Langeland, G., & Williams, S. (2016). The Yuva young people’s service: A holistic approach to child-to-parent violence in London. In A. Holt (Ed.), Working with adolescent violence and abuse towards parents: Approaches and contexts for intervention (pp. 117–133). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • McManus, M., Almond, L., & Bourke, J. (2017). Exploring child-to-parent domestic abuse: Offender characteristics and DASH individual risk factors associated with recidivism. Journal of Forensic Psychology, 2(3), 124–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moskowitz, S. (1998). Saving granny from the wolf: Elder abuse and neglect—The legal framework. Connecticut Law Review, 31, 77.

    Google Scholar 

  • SafeLives UK. (2016). Safe later lives: Older people and domestic abuse, spotlights report. Available from: http://www.safelives.org.uk/file/safe-later-lives-older-people-and-domestic-abusepdf. Accessed 13 September 2018.

  • Shakya, H. B., Usita, P. M., Eisenberg, C., Weston, J., & Liles, S. (2012). Family well-being concerns of grandparents in skipped generation families. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 55(1), 39–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walby, S., Towers, J., & Francis, B. (2016). Is the rate of violent crime increasing or decreasing? A new methodology to measure repeat attacks making visible the significance of gender and domestic relations. British Journal of Criminology, 56(6), 1203–1234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wijedasa, D. (2015). The prevalence and characteristics of children growing up with relatives in the UK. Bristol: Hadley Centre for Adoption and Foster Care Studies, University of Bristol.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, L. M. (2003). Understanding child abuse and violence against women: A life course perspective. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(4), 441–451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, M., Tuffin, K., & Niland, P. (2017). “It’s like he just goes off, BOOM!”: Mothers and grandmothers make sense of child-to-parent violence. Child and Family Social Work, 22, 597–606.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yunus, R. M., Hairi, N. N., & Choo, W. Y. (2017). Consequences of elder abuse and neglect: A systematic review of observational studies. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838017692798.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Sciences, University of Roehampton, London, UK

    Amanda Holt

Authors
  1. Amanda Holt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amanda Holt .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Durham Law School, Durham University, Durham, UK

    Hannah Bows

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Holt, A. (2019). Violence Against Grandparents: Towards a Life Course Approach. In: Bows, H. (eds) Violence Against Older Women, Volume I. Palgrave Studies in Victims and Victimology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16601-4_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16601-4_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-16600-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-16601-4

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation