Single-parent households can influence adolescents to become abusers of their spouse, their children and themselves and are believed to be victims of domestic violence in their lives. Rather than benefiting from the balance of a two-parent household, single-parent adolescents are constantly exposed to stressors and eventually become abusers themselves. This leads to a vicious and continuous cycle that could lead to the destruction of subsequent generations. The trend toward single-parent households is increasing significantly every year. The United States Census Bureau reported in 2013 that approximately 27.8% of children lived in a household with only one mother or father. In 2013, 23.7 percent of all children lived with their single mother and is the most common single-parent household type (US Bureau of the Census, 2013). A common belief would lead people to believe that most children live with only one parent following a divorce, but in general, single parents have probably never been married at all due to the consequences of accidental pregnancies, unplanned and adolescent, as well as adult women who have given up marriage to advance in their career and education (Dornbusch et. al., 1985). One of the root causes of single-parent households is divorce. Divorce can be caused by many factors, including adultery/infidelity, mid-life crisis, addictions, work holism and stress associated with the spouse's career, strain in the relationship and also the mistreatment (Amato and Previti, 2003). Abuse is defined as harmful or harmful treatment toward another human being (Fundukian and Wilson, 2008). Types of abuse include physical, sexual, psychological/emotional, intellectual, or spiritual abuse. Physical violence is violence intended to cause bodily harm or other injury...... middle of paper ...... Gross, RT (1985). Single parents, extended households, and adolescent control. Child Development, 56, 326-341. doi:10.2307/1129723Fundukian, L.J. & Wilson, J. (2008). The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health. Detroit: Thomson Gale. Gil, E. (1988). Getting over the pain: a book for and about adults abused as children. New York: Dell. McLanahan, S. and Sandefur, G. D. (1994). Growing up with a single parent: what hurts, what helps. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Davidson, T. (2006). Single-parent families. In Gale Encyclopedia on children's health: from childhood to adolescence. Desbiens, N. (2007). Developmental profiles of behavioral problems among youth with a history of family maltreatment. Emotional and behavioral difficulties. doi:10.1080/13632750701489964Walker, L.E. (1984). Battered woman syndrome. New York: Springer Pub. Co.