Health-related quality of life of maltreated children and adolescents who attended a service center in Brazil.

PURPOSE: This study's aim was to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and associated factors of maltreated children and adolescents. METHODS: This cross-sectional study consisted of individuals between 8 and 17 years of age who were victims of maltreatment. The KIDSCREEN-52 was used to measure their HRQoL. Socioeconomic and demographic data were collected, as well as information about the type of abuse, type of perpetrator, and psychological support adherence. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the scores of the KIDSCREEN-52 by the independent variables. RESULTS: One hundred and thirteen victims answered the questionnaire. Girls and adolescents had a lower overall HRQoL score (p < 0.05). Children who suffered from sexual abuse had a lowest score on the moods and emotions dimension than children who suffered from physical abuse (p < 0.05). There was a lowest score on the autonomy dimension among the children who suffered maltreatment by an extrafamilial perpetrator than those who were victimized by an intrafamilial perpetrator (p < 0.05). A lower score on the psychological well-being was observed among the children who adhered to the psychological support program provided by the service compared to those who terminated the service before completion (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents and girls were associated with lower HRQoL scores. There was no association between the overall HRQoL score and the characteristics of the maltreatment; however, the type of abuse and the victim's relationship with the perpetrator were only related to some dimensions. These findings may assist maltreatment care providers in planning strategies to reduce the consequences that violence may cause.

Os usos do abuso sexual / Los usos del abuso sexual / The uses of sexual abuse

Resumo Este artigo analisa as narrativas de mulheres e homens; mães e pais; cuidadoras e cuidadores de crianças e adolescentes envolvidos em denúncias de abuso sexual, na condição de vítimas, e que foram, por essa razão, inseridas/os no sistema de garantia de direitos, objetivando demonstrar o que pensam, que enunciados utilizam para falar sobre o abuso sexual e os sentidos atribuídos à sua inserção na rede de atendimentos. Para auxiliar a operar teoricamente utilizou-se a noção de biopolítica, enquanto uma forma de governo e uma tecnologia do poder de Foucault, associada às ideias de um governo pela psicologia de Castel e à retórica do trauma de Fassin. A partir da análise, é possível descrever como o abuso se torna a forma de legitimação maior para que se possa acessar a proteção do Estado e como as formas de governar capturam a todos/as e balizam as narrativas em sutis esferas.

Resumen Este artículo analiza las narrativas de mujeres y hombres, madres y padres, cuidadores de niñas, niños y adolescentes involucrados en denuncias de abuso sexual, como víctimas, y que fueron, por eso, insertados en el sistema de garantía de derechos, con el objetivo de demostrar lo que piensan, qué declaraciones utilizan para hablar sobre el abuso sexual y los significados atribuidos a su inserción en la red de asistencia. Para ayudar a operar teóricamente, se utilizó la noción de biopolítica, como una forma de gobierno y una tecnología de poder de Foucault, asociada a las ideas de un gobierno de la psicología de Castel y la retórica del trauma de Fassin. A partir del análisis es posible describir cómo el abuso se convierte en la forma de mayor legitimación para que se pueda acceder a la protección del Estado y cómo las formas de gobernar capturan a todas y todos y marcan las narrativas en esferas sutiles.

Abstract This article analyzes the narratives of men and women; mothers and fathers and caretakers of children and adolescents involved in sexual abuse allegations, as victims, and that, for that reason, they have been inserted in the Rights Guarantee System, aiming to demonstrate what they think, what statements they use to talk about sexual abuse and the meanings attributed to their insertion in the care network. To facilitate the theoretical comprehension, the notion of Biopolitics was used as a type of government and one of Foucault's technologies of power, also linked to the ideas of a government for Castel's psychology and to Fassin's rhetoric of trauma. From the analysis it is possible to describe how the abuse becomes the major way of legitimizing in order to access the government protection, and how the forms of government capture all people and support the narratives in subtle ways.