O manejo familiar do cuidado às crianças em condições crônicas no contexto da pandemia por COVID-19

Abstract

The context in which children are embedded has repercussions on their health status. Significant changes in this context were experienced with the pandemic by COVID-19. This is a cross-sectional study of qualitative approach, with the objective of to understand the experience of family management in the context of the pandemic by COVID-19 in the light of the referential of the Family Management Style Model. Participants were family members of children in chronic condition, who participated in the primary study and who agreed to participate in this investigation. Data collection took place in January, February, and May 2021 by telephone contact. The semi-structured interview was used as a collection technique, whose script was previously built based on the referential. After acceptance, and on the date and time scheduled, contact was made to conduct the interview and, after authorization, the recording was made. The interviews were transcribed in full, identified, and stored. The data were submitted to thematic analysis, with a deductive approach guided by the referential. The transcribed interview documents were exported to MAXQDA® software. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Minas Gerais. It was obtained the participation of 33 family members, 24 of them being the child's main caregivers. As for the results, mothers represented 91.7% of the main caregivers. Facing COVID-19, the caregivers evidenced the children's vulnerability, which brought feelings of fear and concern to the families, especially regarding the risk and consequences if the child became infected. The interruption of care and rehabilitation therapies, the closing of schools, and the increase in the time children stay at home, due to social distance, were pointed out as complicating aspects for care. On the other hand, maintaining rehabilitation therapies and having a health plan were seen as facilitating. The pandemic added care demands to the routine of the families, which incorporated hygiene measures, the use of masks, and fulfilled the social distance. Without the direct assistance of specialized professionals, school activities, as well as rehabilitation activities, also became part of the daily routine. Regarding care, most families expressed satisfaction in the care offered, and the focus of this care was mainly on the protection and maintenance of the child's health. The future expectations were related to the wish that the child would not get infected, to the end of the pandemic, and to vaccination. Families indicated changes in their routines resulting from the pandemic. Regarding the specific care of the child's condition, few changes were mentioned, revealing that families managed, in their own way and, most of them alone, to sustain the care of the child, expressing all the competence and management skills already developed.