Domestic violence and its emotional impact on adolescents: a review study

• Autor(a) principal: Bonfatti, Sofia Creato
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Ribeiro, Leticia Jóia, Granato, Tania Mara Marques
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Psicologia Revista (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/psicorevista/article/view/56131
• topic: Violência doméstica; Adolescente; Cuidado infantil; Revisão de literatura; Domestic violence; Adolescent; Child care; Literature review; Violencia intrafamiliar; Adolescente; Cuidado de los niños; Revisión de literatura

Considering domestic violence against children and adolescents as a social and public health problem affecting thousands of families all over the world, the objective of this literature review is to understand the emotional impact of domestic violence on the lives of adolescents. Scientific articles delimited by the descriptors “domestic violence”, “adolescent” and “emotional impact” were selected, in Portuguese, English and Spanish, in the Scielo, PsycINFO (APA) and Pubmed databases. We include peer- reviewed empirical articles published in the last ten years (2010-2020). Based on a critical analysis of 14 selected studies, we identified that the emotional impact of domestic violence is the result of a complex interaction between cultural, social, family and emotional factors. In general, the victimized youth presents depressive symptoms, anxiety and reduced self-esteem, which is revealed in negative beliefs about themselves and about the world. We understand the symptoms of young people as a psychic survival strategy in invasive family environments that neglect their physical and emotional needs. We conclude that there is a need for preventive and interventive actions aiming both at the well-being of children and adolescents and at offering a sufficiently good parental care.