SOCIAL REPRESENTATION OF THE HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN

an analysis using the drawing-story technique

Abstract

Health treatment represents a challenging period for children, impacting not only their physical health but also their emotional, social, and educational development. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the social representation of the hospital for sick children undergoing hospitalization, using the Drawing-Story with Theme technique. This was a descriptive study with a qualitative approach. Data collection took place in the playroom of a pediatric ward at a philanthropic hospital in a medium-sized city in the interior of São Paulo, between April and June 2024. Ten verbal children, aged six to ten years, who had been hospitalized for at least two days, participated in the study. The Drawing-Story with Theme (Trinca, 1997) technique was used by asking the children to create an illustration based on the prompt: “Draw on this sheet what your experience in this hospital has been like.” After completing the drawing, the children narrated their stories and provided titles for their works. The data were organized into two thematic units: “Humanization in healthcare,” which addressed elements such as quality of care, professional empathy, and humanized attention; and “Physical space of the hospital and external environment,” which included representations of the hospital’s architecture and organization. The results revealed a generally positive perception of the hospital environment, though children also identified factors such as invasive medical procedures, disruption of family routines, and institutional restrictions, which led to negative feelings like fear and insecurity.