“IT’S LIKE THIS, I’M ASHAMED TO GO OUT WITH HIM”: THE PERCEPTIONS OF THE MOTHERS OF MALNOURISHED CHILDREN, IN A CONTEXT OF SOCIAL DISADVANTAGE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12957/demetra.2016.15944Keywords:
Child Nutrition Disorders. Maternal Behavior. Child Health. Malnutrition. Parenting.Abstract
Objective: This study aims to understand the perceptions of the mothers of malnourished children regarding the realities of their lives, considering the context of their social vulnerability and poverty. Methodology: The research was conducted with seven women, mothers of malnourished children cared for at the Institute for the Promotion of Nutrition and Human Development – IPREDE, located in Fortaleza, Ceará, between the months of May and October 2011. A qualitative methodology was adopted developing ethnographic accounts with systematic observations and semi-structured interviews. The empirical material obtained was analyzed using discourse analysis techniques. Results: The results revealed a strong link between child malnutrition and difficulties with motherhood and mother/child bonding. The women reported difficulties in living and enjoying motherhood because they feel unprepared and unprotected; they were victims of violence and abandonment during infancy and/or during their pregnancies. They have also mentioned their children’s refusal to eat the food which they have prepared, showing an evidence of a rupture in the bond with the mother. Conclusion: It is concluded that nutritional intervention programs may obtain more satisfactory results when the mother’s life story is valued as a supporting factor in the process of determining and recovering from malnutrition. It is understood that a more individualized and deep psycho-emotional attention to the dyad may favor the strengthening of the bond between the mother and the child.
DOI: 10.12957/demetra.2016.15944
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