title: [Experiences of a mother of a Down syndrome child].
abstract: The present thesis was developed based on "The Social Representations Theory" and its purpose was to understand the mother's representation of the Down syndrome child. The subjects were nine mothers of Down syndrome patients between the ages of six and twelve, at a São Paulo specialized facility. The study material was obtained through semi-structured and individual interview, and examined by means of content analysis, particularly the thematic analysis. The results pointed to a maternal representation of the child with a predominance of negative components. Based on that perception the mother experienced ambivalent feelings and behaved in a overprotective way.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermagem Materno-Infantil e Psiquiátrica da Escola de Enfermagem da USP.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Sigaud
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Reis
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires