DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR FAMILY VIOLENCE: ANALYSIS OF TERMS

Abstract

The terms Domestic Violence (VD) and Family Violence (VI) are identified in the literature with both similar and distinct meanings. The aim of this work was to understand the use of the terms VD and VI in academic articles in the field of psychology. The method used was the systematic review. The terms VD and VI were searched in every online article of the Psicologia & Sociedade journal. We identified 46 papers, and it was noted that the use of the term VD was unanimous when referring to gender violence and violence against women, although when referring to violence against children and adolescents, a greater diversity in the use of terms was found, and in relation to violence against the elderly, the term VI was the most used. We concluded that it is important not to reduce the meaning of terms, which culminates in a deterministic and restricted understanding of the micro-social sphere, but rather to broaden the reflections on concepts in order to encompass macrosocial dimensions.

Keywords: domestic violence; family violence; systematic review