Abstract

PINTO, Margaret Daros; MAIA, Gabriela Nunes; PEREIRA, Marco Daniel  and  LEVANDOWSKI, Daniela Centenaro. Adolescent mothers living with HIV: a qualitative research about the "Motherhood Constellation". Psicol. clin. [online]. 2017, vol.29, n.3, pp.381-401. ISSN 0103-5665.

The experience of adolescent motherhood in the presence of HIV infection is still a topic poorly addressed in the scientific literature. The aim of the present study was to examine, among adolescent HIV+ mothers, the themes of the Motherhood Constellation proposed by Stern (1977): Life-growth, Primary relatedness, Support matrix and Identity reorganization. Nine HIV+ mothers (aged from 16 to 21 years) participated in the study. They were recruited from public health services in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, and were all of low socioeconomic status. A semi-structured interview was carried out and a qualitative content analysis was performed. This analysis demonstrated the mothers’ concern about their babies’ health, fear of infect them and anxiety about the possible positive diagnosis for HIV. The presence of HIV infection was verified to be a great challenge to adolescent mothers, although they also described positive feelings related to motherhood. It was also found a good social support network, especially family support, which helped these mothers to be responsible by babies’ care. The Life-growth theme was emphasized, because maternal feelings of children protection seemed intensified among these young mothers, due to the possibility of vertical transmission of HIV since pregnancy. These results highlight the relevance of providing psychological support for HIV+ mothers during the pregnancy and the first months of a baby’s life.

Keywords : adolescent pregnancy; mother-baby relationship; HIV/AIDS; Motherhood Constellation.

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