Recognising fathers as abuse victims ‘crucial to teen health’

By the Editorial Team · Monday, October 5, 2026

Researchers at University College London found that early exposure to mutual parental violence has the most detrimental effects on adolescents' mental health and behavior, with fathers identified as victims more often than mothers. The study underscores the importance of recognizing violence against both parents to better support children's well-being and tailor interventions.

A recent study highlights the importance of recognising fathers as victims of domestic violence to better understand the effects on children’s well-being amid rising paternal involvement in parenting. Researchers at University College London’s Centre for Longitudinal Studies analysed data from the Millennium Cohort Study, which tracks around 19,000 individuals born in the United Kingdom between 2000 and 2002.

Using data from surveys conducted when the children were nine months and three years old, the study examined how exposure to domestic violence in early childhood—categorized as violence against mothers, fathers, or mutual parental violence—affected the adolescents’ mental health, behaviour, substance use, physical health, and academic achievement at age 17.

The research found that mutual violence between parents had the most severe negative impact on teenage mental health and conduct, followed by violence directed at mothers. Violence against fathers was associated with comparatively fewer adverse effects. Within the sample, 16.8% of families reported some form of domestic violence by the time the children reached age three. Fathers were identified as victims more frequently than mothers, while mutual violence between parents was the least common.

Adolescents exposed to mutual parental violence in early childhood showed the highest rates of mental health problems, including increased risks of self-harm and suicide attempts, especially when mothers were the victims. Parental violence against each other was the strongest predictor of conduct problems in teenagers. Additionally, teenagers from families where the father was the victim were more likely to engage in assaultive behaviour.

Lead author Dr. Aase Villadsen emphasized the need to include both mothers’ and fathers’ experiences in understanding domestic violence’s broader impact. The findings suggest that addressing domestic violence against both parents is crucial for improving adolescent health outcomes and developing more effective supportive interventions.

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