Estudo das crenças dos agentes comunitários de saúde do município de Lima Duarte em relação à violência doméstica contra crianças e adolescentes

Abstract

The aim of this research is first and foremost to analyze the beliefs of communitarian health agents from Lima Duarte about domestic violence and its connection with alcohol and drugs. In the beginning, all the 30 communitarian health agents completed a structured, individual and confidential questionnaire. After, they were invited to participate in a focus group. The data collected was studied with the content analysis technique and revealed the professionals tendency to consider relationship and family problems, alcohol and drugs as important factors of domestic violence against children and teenagers. The results of the research also made it clear that there is dire necessity for effective institutional interventions in Lima Duarte, since there is no project intended to prevent domestic violence, neither a programme capable of preparing communitarian health agents to deal with this issue.