Victim or Abuser: Victimisation by Domestic Violence as a Predictor of Violent Behaviour of Juveniles towards Family Members

Abstract

Domestic violence (DV) manifests itself in different forms, given
the specific dynamics of the relationship between the perpetrator
and the victim. In addition to partner violence, child abuse and
violence against the elderly, in recent years scientists have
focused on the violent behaviour of juveniles towards other
family members. The results of the research unequivocally point
out the victimisation of juveniles as a risk factor for their violent
behaviour towards parents and siblings. The paper aims to
present a part of the research findings on juvenile domestic
violence in Serbia on the connection between the victimisation of
juveniles and their violent behaviour towards family members.
The research was conducted on a sample of 1335 students of
elementary (7th and 8th grade) and high (all grades) schools in
Belgrade and Novi Sad. The results show a high prevalence of
domestic violence committed by juveniles and a high prevalence
of their victimisation by domestic violence. Additionally, the
findings indicate a possibility of prediction of juvenile domestic
violence, with the experience of victimisation as the most
significant predictor of all risk factors that were tested.