Caring for Psychological Health in an Organizational Context
G. M. S. Ortiz1, J. B. L. Souza1,, S. C. A S. Santos1
1Department of Psychology, Paulista University - UNIP, Santos, Brazil
Abstract
This article discusses an experience report on a lecture entitled psychological aspects of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium and the importance of the father, performed by trainees of the Psychology course at Paulista University - UNIP (Campus Santos-Rangel) in a company of telemarketing in the city of Santos. Participated in the lecture 31 pregnant employees, with ages between 18 and 35 years, the majority were multiparous. This lecture aimed to provide for future mothers, a space of listening and acceptance; in addition to basics on pregnancy healthy and the initial care of the newborn. Through a slide presentation and Wheel of Conversation, where it was developed a dynamic presentation, the pregnant women discussed aspects related to planning of pregnancy; changes experienced: physical, emotional, social and professional; the roles that the woman represents in your family cycle and social; expectations for the future; importance of medical monitoring previous and post-natal, for health of both mother and baby; and importance of the father. This lecture was also a work of psychoeducation, to know the demands of these pregnant women, to provide, initially, a job orientation and subsequently intervene with action strategies. It was identified some common concerns, among them: the anxiety against the various concomitant issues at the end of maternity leave; the changes in all fields of interpersonal relationships; expectations for the future and the need to postpone or change some of these plans, the support of her partners and the active participation of them in the process of gestation. The result brought the reflection about how the psychologist can intervene in order to provide a better quality of life within an institution, as well as offer opportunities for dialog and guidance to such women and the proposal of the return of the interns to the institution with the drawing up of a new project.
Keywords: health, organizational context, pregnancy, psychology, psychoeducation
American Journal of Applied Psychology, 2014 2 (5A),
pp 5-8.
DOI: 10.12691/ajap-2-5A-2
Received August 05, 2014; Revised August 29 2014; Accepted October 27, 2014
Copyright © 2013 Science and Education Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Cite this article:
- Ortiz, G. M. S., J. B. L. Souza, and S. C. A S. Santos. "Caring for Psychological Health in an Organizational Context." American Journal of Applied Psychology 2.5A (2014): 5-8.
- Ortiz, G. M. S. , Souza, J. B. L. , & Santos, S. C. A. S. (2014). Caring for Psychological Health in an Organizational Context. American Journal of Applied Psychology, 2(5A), 5-8.
- Ortiz, G. M. S., J. B. L. Souza, and S. C. A S. Santos. "Caring for Psychological Health in an Organizational Context." American Journal of Applied Psychology 2, no. 5A (2014): 5-8.
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1. Introduction
The present work is an account of the experience of students in the 5th year of the Psychology Course, as speakers in a company of Telemarketing, located in the city of Santos (São Paulo - Brazil). This work was carried out within the curricular training of "Specific Strategies of Psychological Intervention: Health Psychology - Interventions Clinical-Institucional". The target audience were the pregnant employees of this company.
The lecture entitled "psychological aspects of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium and the importance of the father", It was a work of psychoeducation and has been a part of one of the projects promoted by this company twice a year, seeking to rely not only on the support of Psychology, but also with other areas, such as: Physical Therapy, Social Work, Nursing, among others and that act in this same University, providing services to the community, such as School Clinics.
Bazon [2] explains that Psychoeducation is the result of a process of modernization that occurred in Canadian society, in which the humanist thinking influenced the functioning of institutions in that country. According to the author:
If in the early psycho-educational practice is closely linked to the type of boarding institutions, over the years it has spread and specializes in the application of the model "more open" and community service. In this sense, progressively, the model becomes include the natural environment of the individual, since the environment begins to be considered in their actions and reactions, as a factor related to the difficulties the person [2].
The psychoeducational model is oriented on two bases, from which proceed the ideas of intervention and of educational activities: a) The vision of Human Being b) The educational potential everyday "shared" in day-to-day means of intervention [2].
With regard to vision difficulties in the human, Le Blanc (1995) states that:
[...] The individual, within this perspective, it is always regarded as a being constantly developing and whose evolutionary process is inscribed in a close inter-influence of relationship between him and the environment. In addition, human development, would occur, simultaneously, in the plans affective, cognitive, social and physical-motor, fitting the specialized educational action mediate the interactions between the individual and the environment in order to promote the update of development to its full potential [2] .
Likewise, the educator is the central figure, because he conceives and "gives life" to the environment that is idealizes therapeutic or educational, leaving it up to establish and maintain a relationship help and monitoring through the shared experience of the usual situations, mediating still other mutual influences that the individual may establish.
In the words of the theorists who began the conceptual elaborations on psychoeducation, respectively Jeannine Guindon and Gilles Gendreau:
[...] The educator is a qualified professional who cares primarily [for] all aspects of children's lives. He fulfills his professional role sharing the everyday events of the children's life anand planning the moments of life in order to put directly into play psychic development, moral, social and intellectual child [wherein] psychoeducational intervention subscribe the perspective of full environment and there is no insignificance without education. No presence is nobler than another presence when we become educators IN THE and FOR the event (LEBON, 1996) [2].
Psychoeducation allows monitoring through shared experiences, and intercedes other interactions that subjects will build. Through psychoeducation, the characteristics the features found in groups of care service can be viewed and reviewed, allowing the identification of demands for a possible intervention.
With psychoeducation begins a process of change in the organization of institutions, and the structure and operation shall be revised according to the needs and characteristics identified in the [2].
2. Methodology
The lecture was held in a dynamic way, with slideshow, having as one of its objectives, provide the maximum interaction of pregnant women among themselves and with the speakers. Thus, we tried to seat them in a large circle of chairs, with the interns distributed among them.
The students were presented as interns of the Psychology Course of the Paulista University - UNIP, stating the purpose of the meeting, which was a work of psychoeducation, to know the demands of these pregnant women, to provide, initially, a job orientation and subsequently intervene with action strategies Also explained that moment was that they express their doubts, fears, anxieties and disappointments.
Thus, the meeting appointed by the group "Wheel of Conversation" began with a dynamics of the presentation, which consisted in to play a little ball to another participant, and who was with the little ball, it should present themselves.
In this way, the dynamic was started by one of interns, who requested that the following informations were verbalized in this first moment: name, age, city, if the pregnancy had been planned, desired or accepted, if were primiparous or multiparous women, Position or function within the company, whether they were married or single, a current concern and a plan for the future.
After the presentation of the first intern, this threw the ball to one of the women, and so on, the ball was passed between all pregnant women, until all had finished their presentations to the group.
This "Wheel of Conversation" had the participation of 31 pregnant women, with ages between 18 and 35 years, addressing topics related to planning of pregnancy; physical changes, emotional, social and professional, that are experienced during pregnancy; the roles that the woman represents in your family cycle and social; expectations for the future; importance of medical monitoring before and after childbirth, for health of both mother and baby; and importance of the father.
It should be noted that the "Wheel of Conversation" had the participation of the Social Worker of the company, which organised the event and made the invitation to the UNIP.
3. Results and Discussion
It was noticed that, although most of the women had not planned their pregnancies, them were experiencing it with satisfaction. However, we identified some common concerns: fear does not recover the physical form earlier; the normality of their emotional hypersensitivity; fear of not being a good mother, or that something bad happened during the delivery, what would make it impossible to create their children; and the anxiety against the various concomitant issues at the end of maternity leave.
Ramos, Silva e Souza [7] ensure that the social groups, which are linked through shared identity among its members, relations between subjects still being built by belonging and recognition of attributes whose materiality is unlikely and these groups remain subject to conflict between his naturalization, and your institution as a living group and even that temporary, constantly changing.
It is understood that there have been changes in all fields of interpersonal relations of these pregnant women, especially, about the plans and expectations for the future and the need to postpone or change some of these plans, such as for example, the achievement of a higher education course; and experience of new social roles, because with the birth of the baby, they also become mothers, in addition to wives and employees.
It was expressed the fear of how it will be the return to work by not having with those who leave the child, or fear of criticism disclosed in relation to day care centers. There is also the criticism about feel if devalued by other people, because the child has not yet been born, but already it is the center of the concern and interest of all who live and know the pregnant woman.
Some report their concern for not having relatives to help in the care and education of child; others, however, them report, to have this support in excess, in such a way, that them feel the loss of their autonomy with mother.
Ribas and Moura [8] assert that the mental health of the baby can be influenced by the experience of a warm relationship, intimate and permanent with the mother figure or with a person that performs on a regular and unvarying the role of mother, in a relationship in that both find satisfaction and pleasure.
It was perceived still, relative difficulty in talking about the work environment and the changes that occur due to pregnancy, but some reported that "pregnancy is not an illness", because their pregnancy does not interfere with anything. About the importance of taking care of yourself and prenatal care, pregnant women exchanged experiences on medical consultations and them appeared to be well informed about the care of your health and the baby.
Rodrigues, Dallanora, Rosa, Germani [9] claim state that the space afforded by a group can act as "potential space", where exchanges take place between the subject and the medium. Likewise the process of education is a dynamic space where they occur several psychological, cultural, natural and collective phenomena, which can stimulate in the patients the responsibility of self-care.
It was stressed in the speeches of some women the loss of the ability to add social roles, such as the professional and the family, only overlapping them, causing than, an overload of tasks that prevent them from carrying out individual projects, especially with regard to future planning .
However, in other women can be observed the discourse about the importance to themselves, of the their employment in the company, expressing the desire to build career within or outside the institution, but, them only would give continuity to this desire, when they had the perception that the child is not so lacking in their attention and unconditional care.
Japur and Borges [3] attest to the importance of dialogue, such as the enabled in this group (wheel conversation), in building a relationship of co-responsibility hereby space of reflection and questioning that may favor more humane and effective ways in the process of work in health, both for participants and for the professionals.
Could be seen in the speech of mothers, perspectives and representations in relation to the future baby, where some mothers had planned the future of the child up to about eight years of age, including routines for sports and cultural activities, personality traits and behavior, as well as tastes and preferences of their children.
On the importance of the father, the pregnant women were satisfied with the support of the partners and they talked about the active participation of them in the process of pregnancy and the birth of the child, having the knowledge of the importance of the role of the companion in the emotional support and in the division of caring for the baby.
Second Bowlby (1984) "maternal perceptions about the behavior of his companion offers some aspects of the support provided by the father to his children and the degree of satisfaction of the mother with the paternal participation in family dynamics" [6].
It is understood that the involvement of the father in pregnancy can be understood through their participation in activities related to the pregnant women and the preparations for the baby's arrival, the emotional support offered to the mother, the search for contact with the baby, as well as the concerns and anxieties of these fathers. […] During the pregnancy, the paternal involvement must be understood in its own special way, because the bond between father and son is indirect, mediated by the mother [5].
In the case of unmarried women, they reported that play with security the role of "Pães" (junction of mother “mãe” and father “pai”, in Brazilian language), arguing that the family would help in this task.
Studies have examined that mothers during pregnancy showed some peculiarities which confirmed that a single mother tends to have greater difficulties during this period and, also, in the first months of the child's life, [however] it is possible to think that the absence of the father can be compensated by dedication of mothers or by other factors, such as social support from relatives, friends or institutions. [Because] which seems to be really important is that those who contribute to the development of children, have emotional resources, social and material suitable for this purpose [4].
Ancona-Lopez [1] asserts that we are made in a given culture in a network of meanings and values that precede us and guide the organization of our social groups, in which they conceive the our subjectivity. The paradigms are implicitly "present as one of the backdrops of our existence" [1].
Also according to the author, "we are not concerned whether the maternal love is instinctive, universal, learned, etc., we live with maternal love as a value that we use when we think of ourselves and in our children or other parents and children" [1].
4. Conclusion
Forward to the discussions generated and the demands observed, stayed the reflection "of how the psychologist can intervene in order to provide a better quality of life within an institution with rigid institutional culture".
How to promote quality in health the pregnants that work, considering the physical changes, social and emotional that can interfere in your daily life?
The lecture aimed to offer possibility of dialog and guidance to such women, who at the end of this meeting, demonstrated beyond the receptivity and initial interest, the possibility of reflection and construction of new way of being pregnant and future mother, appropriating the space of listening that they were enabled, and also proposing, the return of the interns to the institution with the preparation of a project that addressing "the psychological aspects of child development up to the age of 3 years". Thus, as stated by Bazon [2]:
The Psychoeducation provides thus: the development of appropriate educational tools for the implementation of specific educational projects; scientific research aimed at supporting educational action; and specific training for professional performance in the daily life of institutions, seeking to treat the services (Renou, 1989) [2].
Thus, it is concluded that the experience provided by the internship curriculum Health Psychology - Interventions Clinical-Institucional" in Clinical-School provided a learning about new practices and strategies that second Ancona-Lopez [1]:
[...] The Psychology need to build new concepts of man, not only to respond to a theoretical levy which requires it to meet the scientific and technological advances, if it wants to maintain its status as a science and profession, but, mainly, because the facts and experiences that professionals face [...] so require.
Furthermore, the work of the psychologist within institutions is undergoing constant transformation and is need that this professional to pay attention these constant changes and updates, so much for your professional enrichment, as for individuals within the institution and the community in general.
Ancona-Lopez [1] certifies that in Psychology, we observe the consequences of paradigms, but, their evaluation and the monitoring of its modifications are the primarily objects of study of Philosophy of Science and Sociology. The findings of these scholars help us to consider the changes that we found in our psychological operations and subject us to rethink the methods we employ.
However, it can be concluded that the development of this work had a significant impact for all involved. Insofar as for pregnant women, provided beyond learning, the exchange of experiences and the psychological care of their demands and; to the speakers, the improvement of skills and psychological techniques.
The experience also provided a critical reflection about the importance of constant improvement and development of new tools that assist in the practice of more effective intervention with the community and the production of scientific knowledge for Psychology.
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