Eu te esperei: o abandono afetivo paterno na percepção de filhos adultos sob o olhar da psicologia jurídica

Abstract

The issue of paternal affective abandonment is complex and multifaceted, in addition to being an emerging theme, given the constant social and cultural changes within the family. In this sense, the present study sought to investigate the perception of adult children regarding the father's emotional abandonment. It is a descriptive exploratory study, of qualitative nature, whose data were collected through a semi-structured interview. Two men and two women over the age of 18 participated in this research, coming from female single parent families, and who had not had contact with the father figure since childhood (from zero to twelve years old). From the analysis of qualitative content, three categories emerged: Consequences of parental affective abandonment perceived by the participants; Substitute Figure; Responsibility for paternal affective abandonment. Among the main results, we highlight the impact of parental absence on the participants' mental health and interpersonal relationships, which lasts in the participants' adult lives; the importance of the presence of a substitute figure, as well as his perceptions about the father's affective abandonment and his possible responsibility. Finally, it emphasizes the lack of studies related to the theme, especially when it comes to the interface between Psychology and Law, thus, this being one of the difficulties in carrying out the present study.