Psicossomática na primeira infância: a compreensão sob a ótica dos pediatras.

Abstract

Psychosomatic illnesses are pathologies that originate in the mind and alter the health of the body. These illnesses affect all ages; however, one of them requires extra attention, the early childhood. Comprised between 0 and 3 years of age, it is in this stage in which children's neuronal connections are developing. When there is their psychic constitution, all stimuli received during this stage directly affect the behavior and formation of the child's personality. It is necessary that health professionals, especially pediatricians, know how to recognize the main symptoms and diagnose the disease as soon as possible to achieve treatment success. This study aims to do a qualitative analysis of pediatricians' understanding of psychosomatic illnesses in early childhood, identifying these professionals' conceptions of the relationship between mind and body. For this, we carried out semi-structured interviews with physicians who participated voluntarily to assess their knowledge on the subject. The collected information was coded and analyzed by the statistical analysis software IRAMUTEQ. The result was a word cloud with the most discussed terms during interviews. The pediatricians interviewed knew the symptoms of psychosomatic illnesses and recognized the need for multidisciplinary follow-up for the correct treatment of patients. The family, however, is still resistant to accepting psychotherapeutic support, as there is still a taboo behind the therapy. It is necessary to be aware, family and society, about the necessity of the presence of psychologists in the treatment of psychosomatic illnesses in early childhood. Then the treatment of the children will be able to reestablish their health, improve their quality of life, and avoid future problems. Keywords: Psychosomatic; Early childhood; Pediatrician’s knowledge; Psychoanalysis