Regulação emocional entre cuidadores de crianças em Belém e suas implicações com os maus-tratos infantil

Abstract

This master's thesis aimed to relate the difficulties in emotion regulation of family caregivers of children aged six months to five years with personal variables (sociodemographic characteristics and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress) and contextual variables and their implications for child maltreatment. To this end, difficulties in emotion regulation were evaluated and correlated with personal variables and contextual variables. A total of 219 caregivers of children enrolled in three Educational Units of the municipality of Belém, located in the DAGUA and DASAC Administrative Districts, participated in the research. Data collection took place from June to September 2022. The instruments used were: participant characterization form, emotion regulation difficulties scale (DERS-16) and depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS-21). The association between difficulties in emotion regulation and gender, marital status, bond with the child, parental abuse practices and previous history of child maltreatment of caregivers was confirmed (Chi-square test - p value 0.05). There was a confirmed correlation between difficulties in emotion regulation and sociodemographic characteristics, namely: age group (-.151*) showed a negative correlation between difficulties in emotion regulation and the youngest; bond with the child (-.186**), the result showed that difficulties in emotion regulation are negatively correlated with mothers; parental practices of abuse - slapping (.160*) denoted the existence of a positive influence of the practice of hitting on difficulties in emotion regulation; blackmailing, the correlation was positive (.188**), indicating the influence of this type of behavior on difficulties in emotion regulation; previous history of maltreatment - physical punishments (-.156*) the result refers to an inverse correlation between having received physical punishments in childhood and difficulties in emotion regulation; shouting and cursing (-.227**), presented the negative correlation, demonstrating an inverse force between the participants who were treated with shouting and cursing and difficulties in emotion regulation; lack of care (-.182**) indicates an inverse correlation between lack of care and difficulties in emotion regulation. Emotion regulation difficulties and symptoms of depression (433**) and anxiety (.487**) were also positively correlated with moderate strength. However, it should be noted that their correlation with stress symptoms was not confirmed (-.023). It is concluded that difficulties in emotion regulation were associated with risk factors for the practice of child maltreatment, as suggested by the literature in the area. The study can guide the promotion of interventions capable of raising the quality of parenting practices insofar as it prevents and/or circumvents difficulties in emotion regulation. This strategy aims to prevent child maltreatment in the short and long term.