Puberty One in three teenagers is aggressive towards parents - this age is the worst
A study by the University of Zurich sheds light on how often teenagers are aggressive towards their parents. According to the study, the potential for conflict is greatest at the age of 13 - and decreases continuously in the following years.
02.02.2026, 10:13
02.02.2026, 10:14
SDA
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- A third of Swiss teenagers become aggressive towards their parents at least once in their lives, according to a Zurich study.
- This behavior culminates at the age of 13, after which the probability decreases continuously.
- Individual lapses are not a problem - but anyone who recognizes a pattern must take action, say experts.
According to a study by the University of Zurich, around a third of young people become physically aggressive towards their parents at least once. This behavior occurs most frequently at the age of 13. The study followed over 1500 young people.
According to the study published in the specialist journal "European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry", the propensity to violence follows a clear development curve. It increases in early adolescence and reaches its peak at the age of 13 with over 15 percent of those affected.
After that, the frequency of physical aggression decreases continuously. At the age of 24, just under 5 percent still exhibited such behavior. According to the researchers, these are mostly isolated incidents in the context of conflicts during puberty and not systematic violence.
Conflicts are normal
However, according to study author Lilly Shanahan, it is worrying that two out of five of those affected exhibited this behavior at several points in time, as the university's press release from Monday reveals. "Conflicts between parents and adolescents are normal and even important for development," said co-author Denis Ribeaud.
"Individual minor outbursts during adolescence should be reflected on, but they are not necessarily cause for concern - a pattern, on the other hand, is: repeated physical aggression and its increasing intensity are just as much warning signals as a lack of remorse or aggressive behavior outside the family."
The study found no significant influence of the level of education or the socio-economic status of the family. However, physical punishment by parents, frequent parental disputes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescents are considered risk factors.
The risk of physical aggression decreases when children learn to deal with conflicts constructively. A supportive educational environment in which parents show interest and offer emotional support also has a positive effect.
