Aspectos psíquicos de pais e mães de crianças com paralisia cerebral observados pela análise de desenhos-estória Psychic aspects of fathers and mothers of children with cerebral palsy observed by the analysis of story drawings

This study sought to describe psychodynamic aspects of two fathers and two mothers of children diagnosed with cerebral palsy by analyzing their productions through the technique of story drawing. Therefore, interviews were conducted and each participant was asked to draw a disabled child and a father or mother of a disabled child. The analysis indicated that these participants showed a predominantly regressive defensive repertoire in face of the children’s disability, especially denial of cerebral palsy and their suffering and a projective identification with the disabled child. The study concluded that the participants used primitive defensive strategies to deal with the pain caused by the diagnosis of their children, having a hard time accepting it.