FAMILY CONTEXT OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO EXHIBIT VIOLENT BEHAVIOR

Abstract. This paper seeks to clearly distinguish the factors of family context for which it is found that may represent particular risk factors for the appearance and perpetuation of anti-social behavioral patterns in children and youth. We considered not only the structural family characteristics of future bullies, but also the integrative-disintegrative processes within the family.The paper aims to clearly distinguish family factors for which there is strong empirical evidence about their impact on the formation of future bullies. The general assumption is that there are certain specific family contexts, certain family variables that favor the emergence and perpetuation of patterns of violent behavior in children and youth. It is important to acknowledge these factors, because of the fact that certain family circumstances represent risk factors for violent behavior of children and youth. Therefore, their acknowledgement and their identification represent the starting point of interventive and preventive actions of society and its institutions towards solving the problem of violence.Key words: violence, family, children, youth, risk factors