Domestic Violence in Children and Adolescents: An Analysis with a Gender Perspective

Abstract

A bibliographic review of studies on domestic violence against children and adolescents from a gender perspective was conducted. The publications were in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, and the observation period spanned the last 20 years. The search for relevant documents was conducted in the following databases: Pubmed, Proquest, Scopus, and Science Direct. Consequently, a total of 411 referents were recovered. Following the completion of the purging process, 174 of the communications were examined for eligibility. Of these, 55 were determined to be relevant. Child violence is a form of interpersonal violence that manifests within the family unit. The prevalence of this type of violence tends to increase with the age of the child or adolescent, exhibiting a notable gender disparity. Women are disproportionately affected by sexual abuse, while men are more susceptible to physical injury and personal harm. Beginning at the age of 15, domestic violence continues to manifest as violence or psychological abuse for both men and women. The extant literature suggests the existence of gender-differentiated profiles of violence. Girls and adolescents may be more exposed to certain forms of abuse, such as psychological and intra-family sexual abuse. In such cases, violence may persist or increase with age. Conversely, men in the same life courses may experience greater physical aggression from father figures.