Abstract

BOTH, Luciane Maria  and  BENETTI, Sílvia Pereira da Cruz. Parental representations in institutionalized children of crack user. Estud. pesqui. psicol. [online]. 2017, vol.17, n.1, pp. 277-305. ISSN 1808-4281.

The use of crack by parents is the main reason of child residential care and affects the mental representations of parental figures; however, studies are precarious with this problem. This study investigated the mental representations of institutionalized children and crack user children. This is a qualitative research with three institutionalized children, of the same family. Instruments used: MacArthur Narrative Coding Manual (MSSB), Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), family design and investigated family history. There were harmful behaviors and emotions that indicate an unstructured environment for the mental development of children. We highlight the neglect of care and affection, causing negative mental representations. It was found that care figures have been filed as punitive disciplinary and ineffective. It's emphasized that the understanding of parental representations contributes to the understanding of children's conflicting, intervention planning, changes in therapy and preventive actions.

Keywords : crack; residential care; mental representation.

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