Percepção da Doença e Indicadores de TEPT em Mães de Sobreviventes de Câncer Infantil

Objective: To investigate the relationship among illness perception, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic symptomatology in mothers of childhood cancer survivors. Method: ex post facto design. Participants: 16 mothers with a mean age of 41.87 years old (SD=8.68). The instruments used regarding the illness perception (Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire for Healthy People [IPQRH]) and PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist - Civilian Version [PCL-C]) were answered through a digital platform. Results: According to the evaluation criteria of the PCL-C, eight mothers (50%) obtained PTSD diagnosis indicators. Regarding the posttraumatic symptomatology, 13 mothers (81.25%) presented increased arousal, 12 (75%) reliving and eight (50%) avoidance. Considering the global score of the PCL-C, the average was 43 points (SD=14.76), indicating moderate level of PTSD indicators. Regarding the IPQ-RH, emotional representation dimension correlated positively with reliving (r=.615; p<.05), avoidance (r=.679; p<.01) and the total average of the PCL-C (r=.631; p<.01). The personal control dimension correlated negatively with avoidance (r=-.673; p<.01). Conclusions: the results showed that the experience of having a child with cancer can refl ect negatively on the mental health of mothers, turning them into a population vulnerable to stress, especially when they maintain a negative emotional representation of the illness.