Understanding marital violence: a study in grounded theory.
Jordana Brock Carneiro, Nadirlene Pereira Gomes, Luana Moura Campos and 3 others
PMID 31596418WHAT IT FOUND
Women in Brazilian courts described conjugal violence as a cycle: control and humiliation escalated to severe assault, then apologies.
Family and institutional support shaped whether they could leave.
Key findings
01Women described conjugal violence as a progressive cycle that could begin with control and humiliation, escalate to severe physical assault, and then be followed by apologies and promises of change.
02Violence affected women's health and children's behaviour and school performance.
03Lack of family support weakened women's decision to break up, while institutional and social support was described as helping women cope.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was qualitative and did not test any nursing, health, legal or social intervention. Participants were 29 women already in legal process for conjugal violence and 9 legal network professionals; nurses were not participants. The sample came from two Courts for Peace at Home in Salvador, Bahia, so the themes may not fit other places or services. The study did not report outcomes such as recurrence, safety, health recovery or effectiveness of referrals. The authors state that the transgenerationality of violence needs deeper study.
Declared interests
The original project was funded by the State of Bahia Research Foundation in partnership with the Public Security Secretariat of the State of Bahia.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the cycle of violence, referral to services or discussion groups as evidence that these actions reduce violence or improve health. The study is qualitative and describes experiences of women in legal process and legal network professionals, not outcomes after nursing or health care.