A família e a criança/adolescente com TDAH: Relacionamento social e intrafamiliar

Abstract

The symptomatic view of an individual with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a result of multiple biological and environmental factors that interact and influence themselves mutually, resulting on a unique function standard. The dynamic between family variables and the child's ADHD is under the influence of genetic characteristics shared among parents and their infants and the familiar dysfunction has become evident on the research conducted with the families. This is a descriptive study that used the qualitative methodology in order to analyze the speech of families who have either children or teenagers with ADHD. The proposal is to identify parent's beliefs and attitudes regarding their children as a mean to understand better how the ADHD disorder is perceived by the families and how this interfere in their attitudes with the children and/or teenager. The sample includes 18 fathers/mothers of children with ADHD that were attended in the Clinics Hospital's Deficit Attention Ambulatory (AMBDA) from UFMG. The data was collected using focal groups techniques as well as semi-structured interview process, between June and August 2007. In order to analyze all the data collected during the research this paper will focus on the Speech Analysis techniques and the interpretation of the data was done under the Constructivist approach. As a result, this study came to the conclusion that many difficulties undertaken by the families related to ADHD in the day life generate great distortions and dysfunctional beliefs that have an impact in their physical and mental health, as well as in their social and emotional relations. Therefore, the families studied in this paper showed that they tend to worsen the symptoms of the disease. During the research it was evident that ADHD children were emotionally harassed, physically abused and also neglected in and outside of the families' boundaries. After observing the reality of the families with ADHD, we can say that an important factor that contribute to aggravate the ADHD familiar problematic is the disarrangement of the health and also the education system, which are not prepared to deal with this specific population/demand. As an intervention measure and a way of prevent violence against children with ADHD we recommend that the parents start to get orientation about the disorder as well as special care/treatment. On the other hand, it is also necessary to invest on instruction to prepare the healthy team to do the right diagnose and to offer the proper treatment to the population with ADHD. We would like to stress that the pediatrics are the ones that should be better trained. Another recommendation is related to the education system. We suggest an intervention in the schools in order to prepare and inform both parents and teachers how to deal with ADHD. Finally, we propose school mediation as a strategy to develop abilities to deal with conflicts through dialog and consensus, in a way that we can achieve a positive environment for the children's development, preventing violence and promoting cooperation and peace.