PSYCHOLOGICAL REPERCUSSIONS ON CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFTER PATERNAL ESTRANGEMENT DUE TO CONJUGAL VIOLENCE: MATERNAL NARRATIVES

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: to unveil the psychological repercussions perceived by mothers on children and adolescents after paternal estrangement due to conjugal violence. Method: this is a descriptive-exploratory study with a qualitative approach developed with mothers in legal proceedings for conjugal violence at the 2nd Domestic and Family Violence Court of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Data collection took place between September and November 2021 through interviews carried out using a virtual meeting application, guided by a semi-structured form. Interviews were recorded with authorization, and later converted to a written version with the support of Microsoft Word. Data were organized through thematic content analysis proposed by Bardin. Results: this research was carried out with eight women/mothers aged 29 to 39 years, mostly self-declared black, evangelical, single and with complete high school. At the time of the interview, women had been separated from six months to a year and a half; lived with the father of children and children aged 7 to 15; and most of them had a single child, whose age ranged between 5 and 15 years. As results of the interviews, Emotional, Behavioral and Psychological categories emerged. Conclusion: the study reveals that, after paternal estrangement resulting from protective measures for mothers with a history of conjugal violence, children and adolescents experience emotional, behavioral and psychological repercussions. The study can contribute to strengthening the psychological care of children/adolescents who have experienced violence, providing professionals with support to outline preventive strategies.