A Colhimento institucional de longa permanência: práticas educativas institucionais e competência social de crianças e adolescentes

Abstract

Institutional care and time of institutionalization are issues of high relevance in the discussions about adoption, risks, vulnerabilities and violation of the rights of children and adolescents, impelling professionals in the area towards the social commitment of psychological science to respond. The purpose of this research was to describe and correlate a long period of stay in institutional care of children and adolescents, social skills, academic performance and educational practices of caregivers, as well as to compare the social competence of those with their peers in school environment. The present study had as participants children and adolescents in institutional care with a period of one year or more (G1, n = 18) and also children and adolescents with no history of institutionalization in the same school year and group (G2, n = 17), teachers of G1 and G2 and caregivers of G1. Two institutions from the city of Dourados and one from Mundo Novo / MS signed the Term of Commitment. the Free and Informed Consent Term (FICT) was signed by the teachers and the Free and Informed Consent Term (FICT) by the G1 and G2 participants. Two studies were structured: Study 1 (Institutionalized children and adolescents: association between social skills, behavior problems, school performance and caregivers' educational practices), aimed to describe educational practices in contexts of institutional care and to correlate them with variables: social skills (in the view of caregivers and child and adolescents institutionalized), behavioral problems (reported by caregivers) and school performance of children and adolescents in institutional care, and Study 2 (Influence of the institutionalization on social skills, problems of behavior and school performance: a comparative study), aimed to describe and compare social skills (in the view of teachers and children and adolescents institutionalized), behavior problems (reported by teachers) and school performance of children and adolescents in institutional care with their peers without institutionalization history. The Parenting Styles Inventory (PSI) and the behavioral scales on social skills and behavior problems of G1 were applied with institutional monitors, the latter also applied with G2 teachers. With G1 and G2, the School Performance Test (SPT), the Multimedia Social Skills Inventory for Children (MSSIC - up to 11 years old) and the Social Skills Inventory for Adolescents (SSIA - 12 years and above) were applied. With the G1 and G2 teachers the scales were applied - socially accepted behavioral index scale (SABIS) and behavioral problem index scale (BPIS). The results indicated that there are positive relationships among children and adolescents with a long time of stay in institutions, low academic performance and high rates of behavior problems. It is hoped, with this research, to collaborate with proposals to face the situations of prolongation of the time of institutionalization.