Percepção e vivências de homens em processo criminal por violência conjugal acerca da paternidade

Abstract

To analyze the perception and experiences of men in criminal proceedings for domestic violence about paternity. Exploratory study, with a qualitative approach, linked to the matrix project "Confronting domestic violence within the scope of the Unified Health System: Social technology involving women, men and primary care professionals", funded by the Foundation for Research Support of the State of Bahia (FAPESB). The project in question was developed with men who, during the course of the research, responded to a lawsuit for conjugal violence in the 1st and 2nd Courts of Justice for domestic and family violence in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The selection of participants was intentional, respecting the following inclusion criteria: being responding to criminal proceedings for marital violence in the aforementioned Court, having children with an ex-partner, being away from the children as a result of the protective measure and having visibly stable psycho-emotional conditions for the interview. Data collection took place between the months of October and December 2019, through semi-structured interviews with closed and open questions. Data were systematized based on the categorical thematic content analysis proposed by Franco (2012) and ethical aspects were respected. The study showed that the male perception and experience of fatherhood is related to the example given to their children, expressed in honest behavior and accountability for commitments. In addition, the narratives unveil paternity seized and reproduced hegemonically, marked by the figure of the father who provides food and clothing, however, without time for affective bonds with his offspring. Regarding the repercussions, the study reveals that the father-child separation as a result of the urgent protective measure leads to the rupture of the paternal bond, promoting the development of psycho-emotional problems, such as anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation, often somatized and expressed since headache to conditions that require hospital care. Therefore, it is defended the need to reframe paternity in order to positively influence the education of children, reproducing in paternal relationships a father model based on affection and love and on equitable relationships between men and women, transforming the generations of fathers.