Whilst adolescent violence toward parents is an emerging trend internationally, little research has been undertaken in Australia that examines male adolescent violence to their mothers. This research examined male adolescents’ abuse and violence to their sole parent mothers. It gathered qualitative data from ten women, from a range of cultural backgrounds to gain a comprehensive understanding of their experiences of the abuse and violence from their sons. The women had a total of fourteen male children, between thirteen and nineteen years of age; twelve of these were identified as violent.

The research highlighted intra-generational and intergenerational issues relating to family violence. Most women and their ex-partners had grown up in families where they had experienced harsh discipline and/or the abuse of women and children. The sons’ violence towards their mothers, siblings and others included physical, emotional, verbal, psychological and financial abuse. The impact of sons’ abuse and violence to siblings was profound and severe.