SOCIALIZATION GOALS AND ACTION STRATEGIES OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate socialization goals and strategies that guide parents' actions towards children with Down Syndrome (DS). In total, 24 mothers and 19 fathers of children with DS participated, with an average age of 22 months and living in the Itajaí region, located in Southern Brazil. Data were gathered from parents' answers to the Socialization Goals Interview and a socio-demographic questionnaire. A categorical thematic analysis was applied for the treatment of data interview. Parametric and non-parametric statistics were also used to analyze part of the data from both surveys. Results indicated that parents shared similar socialization goals: self-improvement related to autonomy and independence was pointed out as the most desired objective. The expectation that children with DS have a typical development was also one of the parents' concerns regarding children's future. Parents had similar opinions about the strategies employed. Mainly, they attributed to themselves the responsibility to ensure that children could achieve the desired goals. It is possible to conclude that the change in the way DS condition is perceived, an increase in life expectancy of people with Down syndrome, the creation of public policies and the fact that children are placed in institutional contexts may have influenced parents' predominant values about autonomy and independence of children with DS.

Keywords

• Síndrome de Down
• Metas de socialização
• Crenças parentais