Infância atingida: os efeitos do diagnóstico de HIV na subjetividade materna e suas implicações para a criança vivendo com hiv/aids

Abstract

The general objective of this work was the study of the effects of the diagnosis of HIV on the maternal subjectivity and the implications of this diagnosis on the child living with HIV/Aids. Specifically, we approached the fact of how the child was diagnosed with HIV, the perception of the mothers on the diagnosis disclosure , family reactions regarding this diagnosis, post-disclosure changes and the strategies used to copewith this matter, maternal perceptions and reactions with the passing of time, the main concerns regarding the child, maternal subjectivity and its implications in the childs life, the mother-child relationship and the difficulty in establishing a dialog with the child about the HIV. Amongst these, we focused in the analysis of the maternal emotional reactions regarding the mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of the HIV and the impact of the diagnosis in the mother-child relationship, focusing itsimplications in the childs health care and in their psychic development. Through the qualitative methodology, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 mothers of children living with the HIV as a result of vertical transmission. These children were being treated at the Center for Training and Reference of Parasitic and Infectious Diseases (CTR/DIP) - Orestes Diniz UFMG/PBH, a referral treatment center for HIVinfectedchildren in Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais. As for results analysis, the Analysis of Speech and the Psychoanalysis were used. The results revealed that the intertwinement of anguish and fear related to death and the prejudice against Aids sufferers consist in a disturbing issue for the maternal psychism, which can also become an issue for the child, emotionally affecting him/her. The main concerns of the mothers were those related to the emotional issues regarding the revelation ofthe diagnosis; the childs reaction to the diagnosis; medication side effects; issues regarding adolescence, sexuality, going on dates, marriage and reproductive matters; the prejudice against the child; their health condition and the victimization of the child. The question regarding the revelation of the diagnosis, the experiences of discrimination and the childs future were the main concerns. Regarding the implications of the maternal subjectivity in the childs life and since mothers tend to postpone the process of revelation of the diagnosis due to fears regarding the childs reaction, it was concluded that the feeling of guilt for the transmission of the HIV, along with the fear of losing their son, can provoke overprotective attitudes that infantilize the child and make the very process of revelation of the diagnosis difficult. Silence around Aids makes it difficult for the child to understand the treatment he/shemust undergo, resulting in silence from the childs part too. Even in cases where the child knows the diagnosis, a great difficulty in establishing a dialog was found. In conclusion, there is a need to structure HIV treatment and care centers into a multidisciplinary perspective, helping the mothers to elaborate the subjective aspects related to their HIV status to their children. Discussing prejudice behaviors towards Aids in all the segments of society, as well as better understanding of the populationconcerning the HIV virus in the universe of children, has shown to be absolutely necessary.