Corporalidade e sociabilidade: a internet e os jovens portadores de osteogênese imperfeita

Abstract

The main goal of this study was to get acquainted with the reality of youngsters with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), concerning their body-related issues, sociability and emotional and sexual trajectory. The methodology of this research is qualitative and focussed on the Internet as its field. The choice of the virtual environment as a field of qualitative research was due to its multiplicity as a data source, and also because it is a legitimate space for sociability. In this sense, the social networking website Orkut has been the way of access to these youngsters through communities related to Osteogenesis Imperfecta that were created in this environment. After this first moment, it was established direct contact with the subjects through semi-structured interviews online. The reports of patients with OI addressed points of much relevance to this study, which were gathered into categories of analysis that focused on the influences of the Internet, the issue of overprotection, behaviors adopted in the face of physical contact, the relations between physical disability and sexuality, modes of presentation of these subjects, and the image that other people make about them.From this material, it was possible to note that problems related to autonomy are common in the trajectory of the subjects in this study. This theme was resumed in the final considerations of this study, from the discussions of some recent authors on the same issues in the health field.