This paper presents a literature review about socialization practices and parental styles in familiar context, aiming to analyze them as risk and protective potential factors for physical abuse, based on ecological perspective of human development. Several factors are analyzed at familiar, personal and social perspectives, such as individual characteristics, parents’ experience in their families of origin, social support network, and stressful life events. The comprehension of these factors may subsidize both intervention programs and prevention of cases of physical abuse in families, and also to encourage new research.
socialization practices; parental styles; physical abuse