JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Famous filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner, were found dead inside their home, and police say their son, Nick Reiner, has been accused in the killings, news footage shows. The case has renewed attention to a little-discussed form of domestic violence: children hurting their parents.
“There’s a real rise in this and it’s very disturbing,” Dr. Christine Cauffield, CEO of LSF Health Systems said. “It’s more common than you think.”
Recommended Videos
Cauffield said about one-third of children are verbally aggressive toward a parent or caregiver and about one in 10 are physically aggressive. She said the problem is complex and can emerge for several reasons.
Children between about 12 and 17 are a particularly vulnerable group, Cauffield said, especially if they have witnessed violence or seen verbal aggression between parents — behaviors that can escalate into physical attacks.
Mental illness and substance abuse often play a role, Cauffield added. “Mental illness does play a key role in many of these cases, as well as substance abuse,” she said. “With individuals who are violent and have mental health challenges, often it is their first psychotic break, which usually happens in the late teens or early 20s, and they report having command hallucinations, for example, to kill their parent or to cause harm to others.”
Nick Reiner has spoken publicly in the past about struggles with addiction, but it is not known whether those issues were accompanied by mental illness in this case, Cauffield said.
She urged parents to be vigilant during the teen years and to pay attention to warning signs. If a parent is afraid of upsetting a child, that fear itself can be a signal that the family may need help, she said.
As families gather for the holidays, Cauffield recommended minimizing stress and conflict and monitoring parental behavior, saying parents can model or inadvertently teach bad behavior.
If you or someone you know is facing potential family violence, LSF Health Systems operates a 24/7 helpline at 877-229-9098.