Ser mãe de um filho com Transtorno do Espectro Autista e suas representações: a influência da espiritualidade e da religiosidade nos enfrentamentos vivenciados

Abstract

This thesis aimed to analyze the social representations of being a mother of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the influence of spirituality and religiosity on their lives, linking these aspects to Religious Spiritual Coping strategies and quality of life. It is a descriptive and exploratory study with a quantitative and qualitative approach, grounded in the Theory of Social Representations (TRS) in Social Psychology. Data collection involved consecutive recruitment using the snowball technique, reaching mothers of children with ASD in Rio de Janeiro. In the first stage, 135 participants completed free word association tasks using terms like autism, atypical mother, spirituality, and religiosity, as well as validated instruments (CER BREF and WHOQOL-bref). In the second stage, 60 participants responded to the mise-en-cause and choix-par-bloc techniques, with 10 individuals per cognitive schema contributing 120 responses. Additionally, 30 mothers participated in in-depth interviews.Prototypical analysis of evocations was conducted using the EVOC software, and co-occurrence similarity analysis was applied. Complementary indices were calculated for the corpus of free associations, and inferential, descriptive, and psychometric analyses were performed to relate scale results to sociodemographic variables. Textual data processing was carried out with the IRaMuTeQ software.The prototypical analysis revealed that the terms evoked for "atypical mother" and "autism" were not rooted in scientific knowledge about ASD but reflected daily experiences and exchanges with other mothers. For this social group, resilience and perseverance in overcoming challenges were deemed essential.Spirituality and religiosity represented a connection between the divine and the human, grounded in daily practices that fostered a sense of faith and sacredness. The findings suggest that spirituality, even more than religiosity, should be considered a valuable strategy for health professionals supporting these mothers. Providing spiritual care could offer emotional support, hope, and faith reinforcement, aiding them in grieving the idealized child and fully accepting the real one. This approach could enhance resilience and well-being, contributing to better quality of life and empowerment for mothers of children with ASD.