Role taking of youths in a family context: Adolescents exposed to interparental violence

This qualitative study examines the roles enacted by adolescents who lived with interparental violence and the impact of such roles on the formation of their identity. The study sample was composed of 21 Israeli-born Jewish youths ages 13-18 years. Data analysis revealed an emic perspective on the roles enacted by youths at various points in the development of interparental conflict. These roles were described and analyzed in relation to the temporal and spatial dimensions of violent situations and according to the type of involvement, the range of authority and responsibility assumed by the youths, and the extent of choice they exercised in role taking. The results are discussed in terms of current role theory, and some practical implications are suggested.