Parental social support and early childhood prevention in contexts of adversity: The perspective of early years’ educators and mental health professionals in Brazil

Authors

  • Marcelly de Brito Novaes PhD Degree in Psychology by the Interuniversities PhD Programme of Family Psychology and Family Intervention, University of Coimbra and University of Lisbon.
  • Maria Filomena Gaspar Associate Professor in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. University of Coimbra

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14195/1647-8606_59-1_7

Keywords:

adversity, early childhood, positive parenting, prevention, parental social support

Abstract

This qualitative and exploratory study aims to understand the perceptions of professionals, who work in a day care centre and a mental health service for children (Psychosocial Attention Centre for Childhood – CAPSi), about the formal parental social support they
offer within contexts of adversity. It also aims to understand the perceptions of parental exercise in Brazilian culture by those professionals.
The participant institutions serve families in adversity settings or residents of favelas in Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil. Semi structured interviews and participant observation were done during nine weeks. Seventeen child care professionals (helpers) were interviewed, six in the day care centre and 11 in the CAPSi. The helpers relate the difficulties on the intervention process to the families’ socioeconomic context. Negative and coercive parental attitudes are considered to be normal by the professionals within the scope of the Brazilian culture. Professional social support is a need for helpers of formal parental support to families in socioeconomic’ conditions of adversity in Brazil.

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Published

2017-01-02

How to Cite

Novaes, M. de B., & Gaspar, M. F. (2017). Parental social support and early childhood prevention in contexts of adversity: The perspective of early years’ educators and mental health professionals in Brazil. Psychologica, 59(1), 117-131. https://doi.org/10.14195/1647-8606_59-1_7

Issue

Vol. 59 No. 1 (2016)

Section

Articles

License

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows sharing the work with recognition of authorship and initial publication in Antropologia Portuguesa journal.