Intrafamilial abuse in the childhood of men criminally prosecuted for domestic violence

Abstract

Objective: Unveil the intrafamilial abuse experienced in the childhood of men criminally prosecuted for domestic violence. Methods: A qualitative study was undertaken, based on the theoretical framework proposed by Walter Benjamin. The data were collected through interviews with 23 men who were being criminally prosecuted for domestic violence in a Court for Domestic and Family Violence against Women in the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, which were categorized with the help of Nvivo-11 and organized by means of the Collective Subject Discourse. Results: The statements evidenced a childhood marked by lack of affection, experiences of physical and psychological violence, expressed through body marks, false imprisonment and fear, as well as witnessing domestic violence between the parents. While appointing the trauma of this experience, the study alerts that the collective subject finds himself reproducing the same paternal attitudes in his marital relationship. Conclusion: The experience of a childhood marked by intrafamilial violence signals the intergenerational nature of domestic violence, reflected in the abusive marital relationships.