Experiências religiosas coercitivas na infância em famílias católicas brasileiras: estudo exploratório

Abstract

This study aimed to understand religious experiences during childhood within Brazilian Catholic families, interpreting them through the lens of the concept of coercion proposed by Sidman (1989/2009). It is an exploratory, descriptive study using a qualitative approach, conducted via an online questionnaire comprising closed sections (sociodemographic data and twenty 5-point Likert-scale items) and six open-ended questions. Participants included 61 adults aged 18 to 28 (M = 23.08), recruited through convenience sampling and the snowball technique. Sociodemographic data and closed-ended questions were analyzed descriptively, while responses to open-ended questions were organized by recurring themes and interpreted based on the coercion framework. The results revealed significant diversity in the reported experiences: part of the sample described family religiosity as a source of acceptance and bond-strengthening, whereas another segment reported experiences marked by fear, guilt, divine punishment, and restricted autonomy—often associated with emotional distress and subsequent withdrawal from religious practice. The analyses suggest that the impact of religious transmission during childhood stems not from the practices themselves, but from the behavioral contingencies (positive reinforcement or aversive control) that sustain them. This study contributes to expanding a field that remains under-explored in Brazilian literature regarding coercive religious experiences.