Amizade, deficiência e inclusão: uma análise de redes de conhecimento e revisão sistemática da literatura

Abstract

Friendship is defined as a close and voluntary dyadic relationship characterized by reciprocity, intimacy, trust, and the provision of support. Having friends provides numerous benefits and has positive effects on various aspects of psychosocial development. However, studies show that people with disabilities face additional obstacles in building and maintaining these relationships. This dissertation aimed to analyze the knowledge networks of the scientific literature on the topic of friendship in adolescents, young adults, adults, or elderly people with disabilities over the past five years (2017-2022). To achieve this, it consists of two studies: Study 1 addresses this objective based on co-authorship, co-citation, and citation networks, and Study 2 addresses it through the analysis of the co-occurrence network of keywords associated with a systematic literature review focusing on inclusion and social participation. PRISMA criteria were used, and the search was conducted in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The VOSviewer and Pajek software were used to construct and analyze the networks. The social participation and social inclusion nodes of the keyword co-occurrence network were used for the construction of the systematic literature review. A total of 68 articles were analyzed. Study 1 revealed that the United States leads in publications, and the United Kingdom is more influential in the network. The main investigations in the field are: Autism Spectrum Disorder, intellectual disability, social inclusion, social skills, and violence against people with disabilities. The most influential articles from the sample's references address thematic analysis in psychology, friendship among people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and intellectual disability. Study 2 revealed that the term with the highest degree centrality in the network is "intellectual disability," followed by "autism." Moreover, "intellectual disability" is also the term with the highest closeness centrality. In terms of betweenness centrality, the terms "intellectual disability" and "adolescence" stand out. The keyword co-citation network revealed a trend of investigations focusing on the population with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder in the field of friendship and disability. The literature review showed that, compared to their typical peers, individuals with disabilities experience lower quality friendships and have fewer friends, as well as demonstrate a higher likelihood of maintaining a low status of inclusion and social participation. The presence of friends was related to greater social participation and inclusion. The use of the network analysis model based on graph theory allowed for a refinement in the evaluation of knowledge maps and brought more rigor to the systematic literature review. The study also aimed to support the adoption of a relational perspective on social inclusion and highlighted the need for more cross-cultural studies and research addressing physical and sensory disabilities. Thus, it is hoped that the results will serve as a basis for authorities and public institutions to expand or rethink their policies, programs, and services for social inclusion and participation.