IntroductionDomestic violence places woman as the victim and man as the aggressor in the family environment. There is limited consistent and clear information based on empirical evidence on the dynamic functioning of the victims.ObjectiveTo further understand the psychodynamics of women in the cycle of violence taking into account the aspects of psychological trauma. It is transversal research design. The sample was composed of ten women victim of domestic violence. Data collection was based on the OPD‐2 Clinical Interview. Content analysis was performed from categories created by a posteriori: (a) Previous history; (b) Behavioral aspects; (c) Emotional aspects; (d) Reason for being in the relationship; (e) Type of violence and explanation for the reason of violence; (f) Support network and daily activities; and (g) Clinical and legal referral.ResultsConstant violence causes changes in the structural functioning and psychological conflict of the victims: difficulties in mentalization, instability in relationships, emotional dependence, abandonment of her own life for her partners, difficulty in having a sense of identity. Victims presented difficulties in making significant changes in daily life to break the cycle of violence.ConclusionThe research sought to collaborate with more evidence on the subject, suggesting a reformulation on forms of encounter to break the cycle of violence.

Introduction Intimate partner violence against women is one of the most common forms of violence. Different research fields are trying to understand the cycle of violence, such as the psychological field, to understand how these women's relational patterns and intrapsychic conflict function in the cycle of violence. Objective To investigate the operationalized psychodynamic diagnosis of women victims of domestic violence, exploring the severity and experience of violence, structural functions, dysfunctional interpersonal patterns, and intrapsychic conflicts. Method We conducted a cross-sectional quantitative study using the OPD-2 Clinical Interviews, which were recorded and transcribed. The sample was composed by 56 women victims of domestic violence, mean age 30.07 (SD = ±9.65). Reliability was satisfactory for judges interviews(k>0,6). Results According to the OPD-2 evaluation, we found that the severity of the violence was associated with the intensity of women's subjective suffering. In the relational pattern, they stay in the relationship, leaving themselves vulnerable; perceive the partner as controlling, aggressive, offensive, and fear abandonment. As a defensive mechanism to relational discomfort

The traumatic event produces intolerable excitations to the psychic apparatus that searches to relief them through the production of symptoms. When established, patients with post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) may experience flashbacks, somatizations, negative emotions about themselves, and difficulty in social contact. This work seeks to understand how the psychodynamic functioning of women victims of interpersonal and urban violence, diagnosed with these disorders, is organized, identifying traumatic experiences, ways of interpersonal relationships, conflicts and psychic structures and use of defense mechanisms, and for peculiarities that may differentiate these disorders. The qualitative transversal method was used through the content analysis of clinical interviews based on the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis (OPD-2). The sample of this study consisted of five women with PTSD and five with CPTSD. The following categories were created: reasons for seeking care, symptoms and desire for treatment, traumatic developmental events, and characteristics of the psychic functioning. Early trauma generates psychic organizations with greater disintegration. A new traumatic event destabilizes the psychic organization and intensifies symptoms. Relationships were marked by dependence and isolation. Participants with CPTSD presented tendency to disintegration related to the object relation regulation and the psychic conflict was of Individuation versus Dependence, with more primitive flaws in object representations, existential need for the other and direct discharge of impulses. Participants with PTSD had moderate to low level of object relation integration and the conflict was need to be care of versus self-sufficiency, with self-representations being fragile and with reduced capacity to manage impulses. Thus, it could be observed that OPD-2 is capable of assessing in a broad and deep way patients with traumatic disorders, in addition to identifying essential peculiarities to guide health professionals towards treatment in the search for better quality of life for patients.

Introduction: Intimate partner domestic violence against women causes physical and psychological harm to victims. The relevance of this topic is indisputable and there is a need to identify in greater detail how these women experience violence, since these factors have considerable clinical implications. Objective: To develop a Portuguese version of the Module for Assessment of Domestic Violence, adapted from Axis I of the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis (OPD-2), considering content validity and psychometric characteristics. Method: Cross-cultural adaptation was based on guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. OPD clinical interviews were recorded and transcribed. These interviews were analyzed by two independent judges trained in the OPD-2. Results: The sample comprised 56 women who had been victims of domestic violence, with a mean age of 30.07 years (standard deviation = 9.65). The adapted version has content validity and good psychometric characteristics. Evaluation of semantic equivalence took into account the psychodynamic references, using the same ideas as the original instrument. Interexaminer reliability between the judges was substantial (k = 0.63) and Cronbach's alpha for the new version indicates good reliability. Conclusion: The OPD-2 offers a psychodynamic diagnosis of the victim that complements traditional nosological diagnosis, particularly in the context of domestic violence with the adaptation of Axis I. Certain biases could have been detrimental to aspects of this study, but they were controlled. The study objective was achieved and the Module was successfully adapted to Brazilian Portuguese. The results are in line with those of the original study.

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Introduction:The pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has changed the lifestyle of the general population, mainly due to the distancing and isolation measures adopted to contain the spread of the disease. These measures generated a series of stressors, including an increase in domestic violence. Objective:To identify the occurrence of domestic violence during isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, its association with issues related to mental health and poorly adaptive personality traits. Method: Nonprobabilistic study, composed of a sample of 3625 participants who were assessed using the PCL-5, DASS-21, PID-5-BF and AUDIT-C. Instruments were administered on-line from April 22, 2020 to May 8, 2020. Results: 379 (13%) of respondents experienced some type of adverse situation during social distancing. Participants who experienced violence had higher alcohol consumption (p=0.004), greater severity of symptoms related to a diagnosis of PTSD (p <0.001), and greater prevalence of anxiety (p<0.001) and depression (p<0.001) symptoms in relation to those who had no such experiences. They also demonstrated higher PID-5 scores of maladaptive personality traits, such as negative affectivity (p<0.001), distance (p<0.001), antagonism (p<0.001), disinhibition (p<0.001) and psychoticism (p<0.001). Conclusion: Isolation due to the pandemic is having a great impact on people's mental health, specifically on those who have experienced violence. Together with public agencies and the private sector, strategies should be created aimed at scaling up interventions to mitigate this impact of the pandemic, especially by providing expanded listening spaces in the health and social care sectors.

A função reflexiva (FR) é identificada como um constructo importante à compreensão psicopatológica e para a prática clínica. Sendo assim, neste artigo, busca-se ampliar o conhecimento sobre a função reflexiva em dois grupos de adolescentes com diferentes trajetórias, um em conflito com a lei (G1=91, M idade 16,57 anos, DP=0,77) e outro de escolares (G2=64, M de idade 15,89 anos, DP=0,75). Os instrumentos utilizados foram dados sociodemográficos, Questionário sobre Função Reflexiva para Jovens e Questionário de Capacidade e Dificuldades. Da amostra, identificou-se que 119 adolescentes eram não clínicos e 95 clínicos. A análise univariada demonstrou diferenças significativas na função reflexiva considerando a interação entre a variável G1 e G2 e as categorias clínico e não clínico. Assim, o G2 não clínico apresentou maior função reflexiva (M=8,60; DP=0,68; F=4,66; p<0,05), seguido pelo G1 clínico (M=8,29; DP=0,68). Tal característica no grupo clínico de adolescentes em conflito com a lei assinala hipermentalização. Aponta-se, portanto, a necessidade de avaliação e desenvolvimento da função reflexiva como prevenção em saúde mental.

Objective: Patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) present a variety of symptoms, with different intensities, causing impairments in the individual, social and occupational functioning areas. The aim of this study was to understand the psychodynamic functioning of patients with PTSD, exploring the relationship between symptom severity, quality of life, subjective suffering, conflicts and psychic structure regarding sociodemographic characteristics, styles and defensive mechanisms. Methods: This is a cross-sectional quantitative study with 60 participants. The following were used: sociodemographic questionnaire, the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis-2 (OPD-2) and the Defensive Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40).Results: Participants had moderate to high symptom severity, with significant subjective suffering and isolation. The main conflict was Need for care x Self-sufficiency and the level of Total Structure was moderate/low. The use of immature, neurotic, and mature defensive styles was observed. More primitive personality structures, more rigid defenses and greater dependence were found in patients with history of past trauma. Other mental disorders were also associated. Conclusion: OPD-2 was effective to assess the psychodynamic functioning characteristics of patients with PTSD. Therapeutic treatment should focus on the psychic structure and not only on symptom control. Prevention strategies should target vulnerability factors and strengthening of protective factors.