The CEO of Parentline has said calls from parents experiencing anger or aggression from their children have increased by 27% from January to September of this year.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, Aileen Hickey said this was the biggest increase in all aspects of parenting issues reported by callers to the helpline.
Calls to the helpline increased overall by 37% in this period.
Ms Hickey said the voluntary service has seen a spike in the number of parents that have availed of their specific response programme, dealing with Child to Parent Violence (CPV) which is for parents who are fearful of living in their own home because of the abusive and violent behaviour directed towards them by their own children.
She said parents often feel "loneliness and embarrassment" while trying to cope with this situation.
Ms Hickey explained that Parentline has seen a 400% increase in parents availing of their "nonviolent resistance programme" from January to September of this year.
"Last year in the January to September, there were 30 family groups of parents on this particular programme," Ms Hickey said.
"The numbers this year have quadrupled where we've seen a 400% increase in parents looking for access to this particular programme."
This programme tries to show parents how to make behavioural changes and coping strategies.
Ms Hickey urged people not to put off seeking help.
"I don't want anyone thinking that this is a 14 or 15-year old child throwing their mother up against the fridge door every night of the week," she said. "CPV or child to parent violence is all about violence and controlling behaviours. That can be anything from verbal abuse, aggression, manipulation, damage to property, intimidation, controlling behaviours, right through to physical assault."
Ms Hickey said 60% of the parents who call Parentline are reporting behaviour of children aged between 12 and 17.
About 60% of these are boys, she said. 14 to 15-year-old boys are the most common cases of CPV reported, she added.
"It's normal for parents and young people to disagree and have conflicts and have arguments.
"It's when that turns to abusive and violent behaviour. A lot of the time it's because of this shift in power or shifting control. That's when we come in."
The Parentline helpline is open from 10am to 9pm on 01 8733500 and 1890 927277.
