Resumen

BARCELATA EGUIARTE, BLANCA ESTELA  y  ALVAREZ ANTILLON, ILIANA. PATRONES DE INTERACCIÓN FAMILIAR DE MADRES Y PADRES GENERADORES DE VIOLENCIA Y MALTRATO INFANTIL. Act.Colom.Psicol. [online]. 2005, vol.8, n.1, pp.35-46. ISSN 0123-9155.

This study assessed thirteen mothers and eight fathers who were accused of child mistreatment; the assessment having taken place at two semi-structured interviews. A pilot study was conducted with a mother accused of mistreatment, with the aim of dismissing or including coding categories that were deemed significant. The feelings and beliefs categories were included in the interaction cycles, and these categories were applied throughout the research. The study was intended to confirm the feasibility of the theoretical proposal which states that child mistreatment can be understood as related to life cycle and situational crises and to dysfunctional interaction patterns, like the conceptualization of pathological triangles presented by many authors. It was found that both the mistreating mothers and fathers’ background and their present interaction patterns are consistent with the aforementioned theoretical construct. The results suggest that child mistreatment is related to upbringing patterns that use physical violence as a punishment and to alcoholism. Furthermore, the study revealed a tendency among families to maintain violence-generating interaction chains, which are related to life cycle and situational crises. In the legal area, a systemic, cognitive and behavioral intervention is possible, with the end in view of breaking up such redundant cycles, thereby encouraging favorable changes in the family, namely as concerns the control of rage.

Palabras clave : child mistreatment; family violence; family interaction.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )