Therapeutic consultation with parents of autistic children: the interface between parenthood and the conjugal relationship / Consulta terapêutica com pais de crianças autistas: a interface entre a parentalidade e a conjugalidade

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2010

RESUMO

The objective of this thesis is to comprehend the impact of the condition of autistic children on family life and the conjugal relationship of the parents. We also explore the use of the clinical, non-directed interview, following the model of therapeutic consultation. We use data from medical records as an additional resource to obtain information about the child and its parents. Five couples (ten participants), parents of autistic children, whose child had recently been diagnosed and had commenced activities in an educational institution for specialist educational treatment, located in a municipality in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo, participated in this study. The inclusion criterion was the participation of both members of the couple in the interviews. This was a clinical-qualitative study in which psychoanalysis was the theory of reference, especially the approach of Donald W. Winnicott. In addition, we rely on studies of psychoanalysis of families and of couples for the analysis of the clinical material. The detailed study of the interviews prompted reflections on three core themes that emerged: parenting and the space occupied by children in family dynamics; the interface between parenthood and the conjugal relationship; the interview as a holding space for parents on the experience of suffering. According to the narratives of the couples, the results indicated that fathers and mothers were affected by the childrens problem and the conjugal relationship has been superseded by the urgent need to care for the autistic child. Feelings of powerlessness in the face to the precariousness of Health Services, in both material and human terms, emerged. It was observed that, as the discovery of the diagnosis was recent a lot of anguish has arisen, principally for mothers, in relation to institutional treatment. Among them were the uncertainties about the service, the issue of medication and of school inclusion. The recognition of the childs condition altered the self-esteem of parents causing them to oscillate between moments of belief and disbelief in the face of the development of the child, predominantly ambivalent feelings of helplessness and hope. Each couple used the setting proposed in a singular and unique way, according to their needs. We perceived that the interview situation favored the creation of a demand that was latent and this was taken as a listening and holding space for the parents. A feeling of urgency prevailed concerning the autistic child, who took the place of the conjugal relationship and the care of other children, when they existed. Given the complexity of the situations and the variety of emerging themes, we found that some couples might question the creation of the child, however, reveal little about the type of conjugal relationship construction. We believe that the model of therapeutic consultation represents a comprehensive and flexible proposal for the assistance of parents which can help to alleviate their anguish. We advocate that this method can serve as a means of care for mental health in the services related to the issue in question

ASSUNTO(S)

entrevistas consulta terapêutica psychoanalysis psicanálise relações familiares family relations autismo parents interviews marital relations relações conjugais autism therapeutic consultation pais

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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