Author(s)

Eliane Santos Cavalcante^1*, Francisco Arnoldo Nunes de Miranda², Lannuzya V. e Oliveira¹, Glauber W. dos Santos Silva², Gustavo Ávila Dias³, Romeika C. F. de Sena², Suerda Lillian da Fonseca Lins², Cleonice A. A. Cavalcante¹, Izaura Luzia Silvério Freire¹, João E. da Costa²

¹Health School, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
²Nursing Department, Postgraduate Program in Nursing, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
³Natal Health City Department, Natal, Brazil.

Objective: To describe the epidemiological profile of children and adolescents who are victims of domestic violence. Method: This is a cross sectional and descriptive study, following a quantitative approach, conducted from September to December 2013, at the SOS CHILD service, in the city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The research protocol was approved by CEP/UFRN under CAAE 0166.0.051.000-11. Results: In the analysis of 69 children, the results were presented from three points of view: 1) the victim—female (56.5%), aged one to 11 years old (66.7%) and lived with one of the parents (43.5%); 2) the abuser—female (60.9%) in the 14 - 23 years old and 34 - 43 years old, with the same percentage (24.6%), history of alcohol use and abuse (42.0%), the mother was the one who attacked the most (34.7%); 3) types of violence, among the physical ones, the most frequent were slaps (43.2%) and punches (18.9%); the prevalence, among the psychological violence, were curses (35.4%) and abuse (27.8%); negligence, omission of care (73.5%), deprivation of care for personal appearance (18.4%); among sexual violence: sexual caresses (57.1%) and forced sex (42.9%). Conclusion: Children and adolescents placed in an unfavorable social-economic context, under the care of mothers with a history of use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs, are more vulnerable to intra-domiciliary violence.

Exposure to Violence, Domestic Violence, Child Health, Adolescent Health

Cavalcante, E.S., de Miranda, F.A.N., Veríssimo e Oliveira, L., dos Santos Silva, G.W., Dias, G.Á., de Sena, R.C.F., da Fonseca Lins, S.L., Cavalcante, C.A.A., Freire, I.L.S. and da Costa, J.E. (2016) Situations of Domestic Violence against Children and Adolescents in a Northeastern Brazilian Capital. Open Journal of Nursing, 6, 633-642. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2016.69067.