Purpose: The study explored the lived experiences of violence by patients with mood disorders against their biological parents who were the major caregivers (13 parent-adult-child dyads), and sought to gain an understanding of the precipitating factors influencing violence.
Design and methods: Data were collected by means of in-depth semi-structured interviews, managed and subjected to hermeneutics-guided thematic networks analysis.
Findings: The phenomenon was that violence was part of life. The four global themes were that increased irritability and poor impulse control lead to violence; violence causes anxiety; a transition from violence to nonviolence is difficult; and moving from descriptions of violence to analyses of violence is important.
Practice implications: A comprehensive dyadic parent-child intervention program and de-escalation techniques are suggested to manage violence substantially.
Keywords: Experience; mood disorder; parent-child dyad; phenomenology; violence.
© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.