Dinâmicas afetivo-semióticas da transição para a maternidade no contexto pandêmico da Covid-19

Abstract

Transition to motherhood is an important moment in the life of a woman who becomes a mother. It is a moment, which significantly marks her trajectory. It involves the assumption of new roles in the family and society, and it demands this woman to face new responsibilities. Thus these, include changes in the meaning of the self and in her perception of herself. However, this experience occurs in an idiosyncratic and non-linear way, and it can be strongly influenced by how the world presents itself to her at that moment. In this sense, this research aimed on analysing the affective-semiotic dynamics of women who experience the transition to motherhood in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, using the Cultural Psychology of Semiotic Dynamics as a theoretical framework. A qualitative study of multiple cases has been carried out, using narrative interview and photovoice as data collection techniques. Eight women who experienced the transition to motherhood in the context of the Brazilian scenario for Covid-19 pandemic, and, who were puerperal or who were pregnant, took part in the research. Three interviews were carried out, with each participant, within a gap of approximately two months between them, in order to gain greater depth in their narratives. Their experiences were monitored, as the possible changes in the world scenario in the face of the pandemic happened along time. The interviews were conducted remotely, using online videoconference tools. Data were evaluated using the consensual qualitative research method of analysis (CQR), which studies, in depth, the unique experiences of the subjects, and seeks to minimize some type of bias on the behalf of the researcher. The analysis was divided into 5 chapters: 3 general data analysis chapters and 2 Case Studies chapters. The narratives of the study participants show that the developmental challenges of the transition to motherhood abruptly intensified with the unexpected advent of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, it radically interrupted the study participants’ daily routine, creating a scenario of uncertainty, illness, loss, grief and death, in addition to a perception of unpredictability regarding the future. An aspect that deserves to be highlighted concerns the transformations in the I-Other relationships, since the pandemic scenario made it difficult to share the experience of motherhood and the possibility of effective action by a social support network in the midst of a critical period of developmental transition.