Mulheres/mães convivendo com a síndrome congênita por Zika vírus: repercussões para vida

Abstract

This research aimed to identify the repercussions on the lives of women/mothers of children with Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome. Between 2015 and 2017, a national public health state of emergency was declared for Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome due to malformations in children, such as neurological disorders and permanent sequelae even in utero, requiring comprehensive post-birth care. Children with SCVZ require specific care, which is generally provided by women/mothers, who are socially invisible. Descriptive, exploratory research with a qualitative approach, whose project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee, with opinion 5,574,398. After approval of the project, outreach activities took place from June 2022 to December 2022, allowing direct contact with 42 women/mothers living in a residential complex located on the outskirts of Salvador-BA. To produce the data, a semi-structured interview was used, with a script composed of two stages: sociodemographic characterization and questions on the guiding theme regarding the objective. Ten women/mothers of children with Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome responded to the interview, aged between 28 and 44 years old, of mostly brown and black race/color, with a low level of education, unemployed, most without a partner. The content of the interviews was subjected to the stages of thematic content analysis, enabling the identification of 04 empirical categories: “Look, your son has microcephaly”. Learning about the diagnosis, “Since he was born, until now, every day is a different day!”: changes in life and strategies for surviving/living with Zika Virus Syndrome, “What is most difficult makes me better.. .”, The meanings of being a mother of a child with congenital Zika Virus syndrome, “We become dependent on it...” Dreams and plans given new meaning. After the diagnosis, the women/mothers reorganized themselves using strategies to adapt to the new context, giving a new meaning to motherhood and giving new meaning to their dreams. The identification of the repercussions of Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome on the lives of women/mothers of children affected by this syndrome offers support for the visibility of these and many other mothers who experience a similar situation with recognition of specific demands arising from the care of children who are intersect with personal, social and political issues.