Peer-reviewed article

[Violence hidden on the soles of slippers: corporal punishment, intrafamily violence, and methods of authority in São Paulo, Brazil].

Renan Theodoro · 28 Apr 2025

Abstract

Intrafamily violence and physical punishment are prevalent forms of maltreatment in Brazil. These issues are often studied separately, with little emphasis on how they relate to the ways family authority is exercised. This study explores the relationship between intrafamily violence, physical punishment, and family authority. The data used come from the São Paulo Study of Legal Socialization, which interviewed 800 11-year-old children in 2016. Variables include household rules, parental responses to rule-breaking, children's perception of fairness in parental discipline, and exposure to intrafamily violence. Multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical clustering on principal components were used to identify patterns of family authority. The findings indicate three profiles: cluster 1 represents non-violent relationships with minimal imposed rules, predominant in middle-class families; cluster 2 is characterized by non-physical punishments and fair disciplinary practices; cluster 3 reveals violent family dynamics, with physical punishment and high levels of intra-family violence, prevalent in low-income families. The results suggest that physical punishment is not contingent, but rather a common practice in families in which other forms of violence are also present. These findings contribute to improving public policies to combat violence and can help professionals identify maltreatment against children and adolescents.