Resumen

BOLANOS CEBALLOS, Fernando. Psychological distress socially determined and expressive abuse in men. Salud Ment [online]. 2014, vol.37, n.4, pp.321-327. ISSN 0185-3325.

The meanings of the abuses made by men to express discomfort were explored. A logic of accumulation of discomfort with social origin expressed in an act of abuse and mediated for a reason or conflict that justified the physical and/or verbal attack was described. Sometimes, the expression of discomfort was accompanied by guilt feelings after violent events. The expressive elements that allow abuses to partners and other family members are the beliefs about the superiority of men, the physical inferiority of women and children or the belief about their inferiority, the notion that wives are a property, the perception that relationships should last a lifetime, and beliefs about the use of violence in relationships. In terms of the intervention with this population, the study highlights the importance of considering the role of social determinants of distress from the macro level to the social programs and community interventions.

Palabras llave : Social determination; psychological distress; men; family violence; abuse.