Growing up (being) without a mother: children’s experiences during maternal imprisonment

ABSTRACT Objective: to understand, through dramatic therapeutic play, children’s experiences during maternal imprisonment. Methods: this is a phenomenological study in the light of Winnicott’s theoretical framework carried out in a philanthropic assistance center in the capital of São Paulo, with eight children aged three to ten who participated in an interview mediated by dramatic therapeutic play session. Results: two categories emerged: Children being without a mother: a storm with lightning and thunder and Children growing up without a mother: drizzle, heavy rain and some rays of sun. Final considerations: children revealed that, even in the absence of their mothers, it is possible to continue being and growing. Therapeutic play allowed children to give voice to their experiences, surrounded by concerns and limitations, in addition to unveiling an unknown social context.

摘要 研究目的：通过戏剧治疗性游戏，了解儿童在母亲被监禁期间的经历。研究方法：本研究采用基于温尼科特（Winnicott）理论框架的现象学研究设计，在圣保罗州首府的一家慈善援助中心开展，纳入8名年龄介于3至10岁的儿童，所有访谈均以戏剧治疗性游戏为媒介进行。研究结果：共提炼出两类主题：一是“无母陪伴：电闪雷鸣的风暴”，二是“无母成长：细雨、骤雨与几缕暖阳”。研究结论：儿童们坦言，即便母亲不在身边，依然能够继续存续与成长。治疗性游戏不仅为身处忧虑与局限中的儿童提供了倾诉自身经历的途径，同时也揭示了一个鲜为人知的社会情境。