Depressão materna e representações mentais

 

CRISTINA MARQUES (*)

 

RESUMO

A depressão materna merece um lugar especial entre as situações em que a qualidade do investimento materno se encontra comprometida, não só pela sua frequência, mas também pelo papel que ultimamente lhe tem sido atribuído enquanto factor de risco psicopatológico para o desenvolvimento de perturbações emocionais na criança.

Neste trabalho são analisadas de forma mais detalhada as representações mentais de mães com sintomatologia depressiva e o seu impacto nas interacções mãe-criança, a partir de um estudo realizado na Unidade da Primeira Infância com o objectivo de avaliar a depressão materna (em correlação com outros factores de risco significativos) e o funcionamento psico-emocional dos filhos de mães deprimidas.

É efectuada uma reflexão sobre os resultados desta investigação, sendo de destacar as diferenças significativas encontradas entre mães deprimidas e não deprimidas relativamente às percepções de si próprias, da criança e a aspectos da identificação mãe-criança.

 

Palavras-chave: Depressão materna, representações mentais, relação mãe-criança.

 

 

ABSTRACT

Maternal depression deserves a special place amongst those situations in which the quality of maternal investment is compromised; not only because of its high prevalence but also due to the role it has been lately given as a risk factor in the development of emotional disturbances in children.

In this paper, maternal mental representations of depressed mothers and their impact on mother-child interactions are more thoroughly analyzed, from the results of a study that took place at the Infancy Unit which aim was to evaluate maternal depression (in correlation with other significant risk factors) and psychological functioning of children of depressed mothers.

The author analyses the results of this research, especially the significant differences found between depressed and non depressed mothers concerning mother's perceptions of herself, of the child and mother-child identification.

 

Key words: Maternal depression, mental representations, mother-child relationship.

 

 

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(*)Pedopsiquiatra.