Perception of mothers and teenagers about domestic violence through the building of genograms

Abstract

Violence is a phenomenon that reflects and crosses social and interpersonal relationships and can be passed across generations. The present study aimed to explore the perceptions of domestic violence from the point of view of three mothers and their teenage children through the construction of genograms. Results showed that there was intergenerational reproduction of violence, verified through relational disorders between parents as well as in the relationships that the mother has established throughout her life, which, in turn, perpetuated with their children, who were viewers and victims of this phenomenon. It is noteworthy that although the intergenerationality of violence was implied in the speech of all participants, the same did not occur in the graphical representation of teenagers’ genograms, suggesting that children worry about this phenomenon only in the current family.

Key words: domestic violence, intergenerationality, genogram.