Reflections on the Bond of Attachment, Social Environment and Implications in Cases of Violence in Users of Health and Protection Services in North Lima, 2025

Abstract

This descriptive phenomenological study analyzes the meanings that women victims of partner violence, users of health and social protection services in North Lima, attribute to their early relationship history, partner relationships and psychosocial repercussions. A non-probability sampling method was used, with four users and one health professional interviewing participants at a specific time using an interview guide, field notebook, and checklist. Qualitative interpretation of data by categories supported by ATLAS.ti found twelve codes organized into three categories that relate early experiences of insufficient care, aggressive interactions in childhood and economic precarity that shape insecure attachments. In adulthood, these patterns are rekindled in couple dynamics characterized by control, domination, and emotional dependence, preventing violent breakups. Psychosocial effects impact mental health, mother-child bonds, self-care, and support groups, demonstrating the interrelationship between early attachment history, structural inequalities, and gender violence. It is concluded that experiences of violence in childhood and adulthood shape ways of understanding, relating and coexisting, interwoven in unequal socioeconomic environments that favor unequal gender relations in care.