Comunicação Familiar e Comportamento Adaptativo no Contexto de Famílias de Crianças com Deficiência

Abstract

The general objective of this thesis was to investigate the variables of family communication for problem-solving and adaptive behavior of children with disabilities, aiming to relate them to each other. To achieve this goal, three interdependent studies were proposed. The first study, titled “Communication in Families of People with Disabilities: An Integrative Review of the Literature,” aimed to characterize studies on family communication and identify the instruments used in the context of families with people with disabilities. The following databases were searched: CAPES/MEC Journal Portal, Medline/PubMed, BVS, Scielo, LILACS, ERIC, and APA-PsycNet. The search resulted in 20 studies for analysis. The results indicated that 60% of the studies were published between 2016 and 2018, with 85% of the participants being caregivers of people with disabilities. Additionally, 30% of the studies were conducted in North America, and 90% of them adopted quantitative approaches. The most frequently used instruments were the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evolution Scale (FACES III), Family Assessment Device Agreement Scale, and Family Problem Solving Communication (FPSC). It was concluded that instruments assessing family communication in the context of families of people with disabilities are scarce in the national context, although they are present in other countries. The second study, titled “Adaptation and Validation of the Family Problem Solving Communication Index (FPSCI) for the Brazilian Context,” aimed to cross-culturally adapt and validate the FPSCI instrument for the Brazilian context. This methodological study involved 156 parents of children with disabilities, as well as translators and research committees. A sociodemographic inventory and the FPSCI were used. The data were analyzed in terms of item structure and adequacy. Validation was performed through Confirmatory Factor Analysis, using the Robust Diagonally Weighted Least Squares estimation method in the JASP software. The results showed semantic and cultural congruence in the adaptation of the FPSCI, as well as acceptable psychometric validity, with a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.85 (95% CI [0.81-0.88]) and McDonald's Omega of 0.86 (95% CI [0.82-0.89]). The instrument showed a unidimensional structure, with a necessary reduction from 10 to 7 items. It was concluded that the FPSCI was adequately adapted and validated for the Brazilian context, presenting reliable psychometric data for its application. The third study, titled “Family Communication and Adaptive Behavior of Children with Disabilities,” aimed to relate family communication, the adaptive behavior of children with disabilities, and family characteristics. The study involved 81 caregivers and their children. Instruments were used to characterize the population (ISD), evaluate family communication (FPSCI), and assess the adaptive behavior of the children (DABS). The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 20), applying the Chi-square test to assess the relationship between sociodemographic variables and family communication, and the Spearman test to examine the correlation between family communication and adaptive development (p<0.05). The main results indicated that family relationship and household income showed statistical significance, suggesting a relationship with family communication in conflict resolution situations. A moderate correlation was identified between family communication for problem-solving (FPSCI) and adaptive development in the conceptual and social areas, while the correlation was weaker in relation to practical adaptive development. As a contribution, this research adds to the study of families of people with disabilities, providing empirical evidence on the relationship between family communication and the adaptive behavior of children, particularly in the conceptual and social dimensions, which had not been previously evidenced in the literature.