Conhecimento sobre desenvolvimento infantil: um estudo com mães em contexto de cárcere

Abstract

The concept of Development Niche consists of three subsystems: the physical and social environment, the psychology of caregivers and care practices. The present study aimed to analyze the prison context in light of the theoretical model of the developmental niche. The sample was 16 mothers guarded at the SUSIPE´s Maternal and Child Unit located in Ananindeua, in the metropolitan region of Belém. An interview script was used to collect the data in order to obtain information on the profile of mothers and their babies. Mothers responded to the KIDI, an instrument composed of 75 questions, divided into four categories: care practices, health and safety, rules and acquisitions and principles of development. The results indicated that the majority of the mothers were over 25 years of age, multiparous and of low schooling. Regarding the results of the application of the KIDI instrument, it was observed that the mothers answered 62% of the inventory questions and presented a performance of more than 50% of correctness in all the categories evaluated by the instrument, however the best results were obtained in The Health and Safety category (71.87%) and development principles (64.34%). Multiparity and the physical and social environment presented themselves as significant variables at the level of knowledge. From the results found, it is verified how important it is to know this context as a Development Niche that has a mutual relationship between environment, practices and the psychology of caregivers, and therefore, must be understood in its various dimensions. The study in prison context was satisfactory in that it provided important data for the reflection of public policies in the prison environment, possible orientations for mothers about child development and contributions for the improvement of the professionals' performance in the unit.