From the dream to reality: experience of mothers of children with disabilities

Abstract

This study aims to show signs of emotional distress experienced by mothers of children with disabilities. Comprehensive and interpretative study, conducted in the city of Timbaúba/Pernambuco/Brazil, with six mothers of children with disabilities. The empirical material was produced by interviews, following the premises of the Oral History proposed by Bom Meihy and then interpreted in the light of the thematic analysis technique. The mothers' narratives are marked by feelings of ambiguity, neglect, sadness, denial, guilt, self-pity, self-contempt and frustrations. The stories revealed that mothers have the power to overcome and are able to adapt themselves to the experience of taking care of a disabled child. The narratives provided reflections on the complexity of being a mother, in particular, the issue of disability, suggesting the need for multidisciplinary actions aimed at personal empowerment and autonomy in caring for a child, with a view to the child's rehabilitation and inclusion in society.