Bem-estar subjetivo de crianças e adolescentes em acolhimento institucional e sua relação com a orfandade como uma experiência adversa na infância

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges for those seeking to understand the pathways through which healthy human development processes occur is the complexity of the various influences that act on it, such as factors, contexts, and experiences. Subjective Well-Being (SWB) has been the subject of analysis in studies on human development conducted in recent decades, which provokes reflections on the updated use of the concept and meaning found in different contexts. Although the affective aspects related to SWB may be important, they are not completely independent of other factors; that is, they integrate affective reactions linked to each individual's life experiences, such as broken bonds, orphanhood, parental abandonment, social vulnerability, among others. This study aimed to demonstrate possible relationships between subjective well-being and orphanhood as an adverse childhood experience (ACE) in children and adolescents of both sexes (N=40) living in institutional care located in the mesoregion of Pará, Brazil. To this end, biopsychosocial instruments were used to assess aspects of the population profile and motivation for foster care. In addition, the ACE-IQ was used, which defines adverse childhood experiences as traumatic emotional events with negative outcomes throughout life. The multidimensional life satisfaction scale (MSV) and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (AE) were applied to assess positive and negative feelings and attitudes regarding children's subjective well-being. The results were analyzed quantitatively, and the descriptors of the occurrence and frequency of ACEs, EMSV and AF were identified using the SPSS.20 software. In this sample group, 97.5% of the participants reported at least five ACE categories. The total average ACE-Score was 9.72, being predominant in females. Domestic violence was the most frequent ACE subtype, corresponding to 87.5% of the sample, followed by physical abuse (87%), emotional abuse (85%) and bullying (85%). Orphanhood was present in 72.5% of the sample, with an average of 9.69 points, and was associated with parental absence, lack of civil registration of the father's name and the death of one or both parents. Pearson's correlation between the total ACE and EMSV scores resulted in r -.034 (p-value 0.033), indicating that the greater the experience of ACEs, the lower the subjective well-being. Another result shows that 67.5% of the participants obtained a significant negative affect score (AFN). It is considered that the objective of the study was achieved with regard to making evident the correlation between orphanhood as an adverse experience and subjective well-being. The participants reported experiencing several ACEs and these experiences contributed to a decrease in subjective wellbeing. It is assumed that emotional experiences tend to influence the evaluation of life events and circumstances, and this evaluation, in turn, can evoke emotional reactions. This suggests that SWB depends on the sum of the positive and negative effects experienced by people in their daily lives and that this variable contributes to the increase or decrease in the subjective well-being of children and adolescents in institutional care. The discussion of the data presented may be promising for reflection on subjective well-being, orphanhood as an adverse experience in childhood and, subsequently, to contribute to the implementation of public policies aimed at promoting the health and development of children and adolescents in institutional care.