Abused by our grown-up children

The phenomenon of adult children abusing their parents is a complex one, and help can be hard to come by for those who find themselves in its grip, writes Thien Trang Nguyen Phan

Many mothers feel trapped in the abuse perpetrated by their children (Getty/iStock)

Broken arms ... I had a badly damaged jaw ... strangled ... ”

Lizzy* picked me up at her local railway station and drove me to the lounge of her favourite hotel, where for more than four hours we sat in a discreet corner while she told me her story. Andy, the person responsible for her broken arms and badly damaged jaw, was her 28-year-old son.

When we met in 2018, Andy had recently been given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to serious assault. He had returned to live with Lizzy following his conviction and “nothing had changed”. The abuse carried on. But despite this, Lizzy, now in her late 60s, refused to give up on him.