“Theory of mind” (ToM) has become an important theoretical construct in developmental psychology. It refers to the everyday ability to make sense of human behaviour, through an understanding of people as mentalising beings. This understanding is often assessed through a classic false belief test, though there is vast individual difference in the age at which this test is passed: most children pass the task at around the age of 4 years, with a range in the age of competence anywhere from 3 to 5 years in typically developing children. Given this considerable variation, much research in this field has examined factors which predict these individual differences, with one such line of enquiry focussing on social interaction experiences which might predict false belief task success. Research along this vein has examined factors such as family conversations and maternal language, though the aim of the current thesis was to examine the role of uniquely childish social interactions that might foster ToM. This focus was inspired by the finding that children who have siblings develop ToM precociously compared to singleton (only) children, suggesting that child-to-child interactions may indeed be particularly important for ToM development. Two uniquely childish interactions were chosen for examination: pretend play and conflict. While examining each of these social interactions, a somewhat novel methodological approach of a parent questionnaire was adopted, rather than direct, observational methods. Thus a secondary aim of the current thesis was to determine if the rich resource of parents could be usefully tapped to obtain information about child interactions. The first 2 empirical chapters of this thesis focussed on pretend play. The first chapter examined the question of whether pretence and ToM are linked in a cognitive sense, that is, whether understanding in pretence precedes understanding in belief, and whether these 2 areas of understanding are related to each other. This was achieved through 4 experiments, which replicated then modified the procedures of Custer (1996) and Hickling, Wellman and Gottfried (1997), using a sample of 210 children. The results of the experiments within this chapter suggested that pretence understanding did not precede belief understanding. However, pretence understanding was associated with ToM, begging the question as to why this might be so. The proposition offered was that the social and communication qualities of pretence might be more pertinent to ToM development than its representational qualities. Thus, in the second study of the current thesis, pretence was re-examined in relation to ToM, though this time, the social engagement attributes of this activity were focussed on. A total of 50 children were tested on their language ability and false belief, while their mothers completed a questionnaire about their play behaviour with their closest-in-age sibling. The results suggested that only social pretend play was related to ToM, not solitary pretend play. Moreover, within the context of social pretence, only games that were likely to involve role play were found to be related to ToM, other themes of pretence were not. In combination, the results of Study 1 and 2 of the thesis gave limited support to the proposed association between pretend play and theory of mind. Only social, role-play pretence was found to be relevant. Given that role play pretence is known to involve negotiations of roles and plans of action, it was proffered that children’s conflictual interactions with their peers might be a more fruitful area to explore in relation to ToM development. Therefore, the third and fourth studies in this thesis shifted focus towards children’s conflict interactions. In the third study, 54 children were tested on their language ability and false belief performance, while their mothers concurrently completed a questionnaire about children’s conflict behaviours with their closest-in-age sibling. The emotional qualities of children’s disputes with their siblings served as the primary focus of investigation, though other elements such as overall frequency, diversity, and mode of resolution were also examined. The results suggested that children who were able to remain relatively calm emotionally, both during and at the end of their sibling disputes, had the most advanced ToM understanding. The interesting and novel findings of Study 3 prompted further investigation of conflict interactions in relation to ToM. In study 4, a sample of 69 children was examined. Parents completed a questionnaire about sibling and peer disputes conjointly, which included rating the emotional qualities of these disputes as well as their child’s reasoning strategies during these interactions. Children were tested on their language ability, ToM and executive functioning. The results of this final study indicated that children with more advanced reasoning styles performed better on tests of false belief, and contrary to Study 3, the emotional qualities of their disputes were not significantly related to false belief. However, there was significant overlap between children’s reasoning style and the emotional qualities of their peer and sibling disputes, in that, children who had more advanced reasoning abilities tended to have calmer emotions during their conflicts. A further, novel finding of study 4 was the fact that the association between children’s argument styles and their false belief performance was mediated by their executive functioning skills for inhibitory control. Strengths and limitations are addressed in the final general discussion chapter. It is concluded that, although the questionnaire procedure adopted in the current thesis requires further validation, and longitudinal follow on of the results are warranted, the current thesis has substantially added to the extant literature. It has done so by providing a thorough analysis of 2 uniquely childish social interactions in relation to ToM, and through consideration of mediational influences of inhibitory control on these associations. In achieving these aims, the current thesis has suggested that parent questionnaires show promise as a means of obtaining rich information about children’s social interactions.

Em nossa cultura casar-se e ter filhos são etapas no processo de desenvolvimento do ser humano que têm amplo significado social e psicológico; e ser pai/mãe é uma etapa dentro do ciclo de vida que traz mudanças significativas, tanto para a família, como um todo, quanto para seus membros. Assim como a maternidade tem seus significados para a mulher, a paternidade também os tem e estes, para os homens, são influenciados pelas concepções, crenças e valores que têm acerca do papel paterno. A literatura aponta que a presença de uma doença crônica/deficiência do filho afeta a maneira como estes homens exercem a paternidade. Este trabalho teve como objetivo conhecer a vivência da paternidade em pais de filhos com diagnóstico de Distrofia Muscular de Duchenne (DMD) e as consequências da presença da doença nas interações familiares e sociais. Participaram oito pais cujos filhos possuem diagnóstico confirmado de DMD, com idade acima dos dez anos e residentes em Ribeirão Preto e cidades circunvizinhas. Foram realizadas entrevistas com a utilização de um roteiro semiestruturado e os dados foram analisados com base na análise temática de conteúdo. Os resultados mostram que a notícia da confirmação do diagnóstico de DMD desencadeou uma reação de choque, coexistindo com sentimentos de tristeza, impotência e desesperança. A negação foi a defesa psíquica mais utilizada por eles e a maioria dos pais considera a enfermidade do filho como missão enviada por Deus, desse modo diminuindo a dor e a angústia causadas pelo adoecimento. Os pais utilizaram-se de diversos recursos para enfrentar a doença dos seus filhos, desde a busca de informações sobre tratamento/cura da doença e a religião apareceu como um fator positivo que os ajudou a enfrentar as situações mais difíceis. Apresentam sobrecarga física e psíquica e, ainda, preocupação constante e tristeza em virtude da grande dependência de cuidados que o filho doente exige; além disso, o exercício da paternidade se mostrou mais participativo, sendo o relacionamento com o filho avaliado como de companheirismo. Os pais experimentam, desde a percepção dos sintomas da doença, inúmeras perdas que os expõem a grande sofrimento, diversos eventos estressores e deflagram o processo de luto antecipatório que é atualizado a cada perda funcional que acontece em decorrência da doença. A paternidade de um filho com deficiência foi percebida por eles como um fator que os fez sentirem-se \"pais especiais\", promovendo também amadurecimento e crescimento pessoais. Os pais atribuíram à paternidade o significado de missão a ser cumprida e este significado foi permeado pelo sistema de crenças e valores religiosos. O significado dado à \"paternidade especial\" influenciou positivamente na adaptação à doença, pois favoreceu a elaboração psíquica, mantendo-os motivados frente à adversidade. Conhecer e compreender como os pais vivenciam a paternidade na presença de uma doença crônica/deficiência é fundamental para que se estabeleçam programas de acompanhamento psicológico e assistência não somente para os pais, mas para toda a família, visando à promoção de apoio e estratégias de enfrentamento para uma melhor adaptação à enfermidade e à paternidade. / In our culture to marry and have children are steps in the process of human development that have broad social and psychological meaning and to become a father/mother is a stage in the life cycle that brings significant changes for both the family and its members. As well as motherhood having its meanings for the woman fatherhood also has them and this is influenced by the concepts, beliefs and values of the men concerning the paternal role. The literature indicates that the presence of a chronic illness/disability of the child affects how these men exercise fatherhood. This study aimed to understand the experience of fatherhood in fathers of boys diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and the consequences of the presence of the disease in the social and family interactions. Participants were eight fathers whose children, aged ten years and over, had been diagnosed with DMD, living in Ribeirão Preto and surrounding cities. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured script and analyzed using thematic content analysis. The results show that the news of the confirmation of the DMD diagnosis triggered a reaction of shock, coexisting with feelings of sadness, helplessness and hopelessness. Denial was the psychic defense most used by them and the majority of the fathers considered the illness of the child a mission sent from God, thereby decreasing the pain and anguish caused by the illness. The fathers used a variety of resources to cope with the illnesses of their sons, from seeking information regarding treatment/cure for the disease to religion, which appeared as a positive factor that helped them cope with the most difficult situations. They presented physical and mental overload, as well as constant concern and sadness because of the great dependence on care of the sick son. The exercise of fatherhood was shown to be more participatory and the relationship with the child was evaluated as one of companionship. From the perception of the disease symptoms, the fathers experienced many losses that exposed them to great suffering, many stressful events and triggered the process of anticipatory mourning that was upgraded with every functional loss that occured as a result of the disease. They perceived fatherhood of a child with disabilities to be a factor that made them feel like \"special parents\" and also promoted maturation and personal growth. The fathers attributed the meaning of a mission to be fulfilled to the fatherhood and this meaning was permeated by a system of religious beliefs and values. The meaning given to \"special fatherhood\" positively influenced the adaptation to the disease, as it favored psychic elaboration, keeping them motivated in the face of adversity. To know and comprehend how fathers experience fatherhood in the presence of a chronic disease/disability is fundamental to be able to establish psychological counseling and care programs, not only for parents but for the entire family, aiming to promote support and coping strategies for better adaptation to the illness and to fatherhood.

Cette thèse porte sur le rôle des aidants familiaux dans la prise en charge et les évolutions qu’il devrait connaître dans les années à venir. Premièrement, l’étude d’une cohorte d’individus de plus de 65 ans suivis pendant vingt-deux ans remet en question la capacité des proches à garantir le maintien à domicile des personnes âgées face à la survenue de troubles cognitifs. Puis, une modélisation jointe des décisions d’aide prises au sein des familles d’individus âgés dépendants précise et nuance les effets supposés des évolutions socio-économiques et démographiques actuelles sur l’implication future des membres de la famille. Enfin, l’analyse de la relation entre aide professionnelle et aide familiale à domicile indique qu’une réduction du prix de l’aide formelle ne devrait pas permettre de libérer du temps aux proches mobilisés. Ces résultats suggèrent des pistes d’action publique en vue d’améliorer l’efficience de la prise en charge des personnes âgées dépendantes. / In France, in-home support of the elderly dependents is encouraged and should contribute to the care provided by family members. In this thesis, several microeconometric models are estimated to analyse the role of the family in long-term care for elderly dependents. First, the analysis of a cohort of elderly dependents followed for more than twenty years calls into question the ability of family caregivers to protect their elderly dependent parent against the risk of institutionalisation. Then, a joint model of caregiving decisions within families nuances the effects of current socio-economic and demographic evolution on the future involvement of children. Finally, the study of the relationship between family care and formal home care indicates that a lower price of professional care cannot efficiently contribute to free up time for the informal caregivers. These results fuel thoughts about new public policies devoted to increase the efficiency of long-term care for elderly dependents.

Em nossa cultura casar-se e ter filhos são etapas no processo de desenvolvimento do ser humano que têm amplo significado social e psicológico; e ser pai/mãe é uma etapa dentro do ciclo de vida que traz mudanças significativas, tanto para a família, como um todo, quanto para seus membros. Assim como a maternidade tem seus significados para a mulher, a paternidade também os tem e estes, para os homens, são influenciados pelas concepções, crenças e valores que têm acerca do papel paterno. A literatura aponta que a presença de uma doença crônica/deficiência do filho afeta a maneira como estes homens exercem a paternidade. Este trabalho teve como objetivo conhecer a vivência da paternidade em pais de filhos com diagnóstico de Distrofia Muscular de Duchenne (DMD) e as consequências da presença da doença nas interações familiares e sociais. Participaram oito pais cujos filhos possuem diagnóstico confirmado de DMD, com idade acima dos dez anos e residentes em Ribeirão Preto e cidades circunvizinhas. Foram realizadas entrevistas com a utilização de um roteiro semiestruturado e os dados foram analisados com base na análise temática de conteúdo. Os resultados mostram que a notícia da confirmação do diagnóstico de DMD desencadeou uma reação de choque, coexistindo com sentimentos de tristeza, impotência e desesperança. A negação foi a defesa psíquica mais utilizada por eles e a maioria dos pais considera a enfermidade do filho como missão enviada por Deus, desse modo diminuindo a dor e a angústia causadas pelo adoecimento. Os pais utilizaram-se de diversos recursos para enfrentar a doença dos seus filhos, desde a busca de informações sobre tratamento/cura da doença e a religião apareceu como um fator positivo que os ajudou a enfrentar as situações mais difíceis. Apresentam sobrecarga física e psíquica e, ainda, preocupação constante e tristeza em virtude da grande dependência de cuidados que o filho doente exige; além disso, o exercício da paternidade se mostrou mais participativo, sendo o relacionamento com o filho avaliado como de companheirismo. Os pais experimentam, desde a percepção dos sintomas da doença, inúmeras perdas que os expõem a grande sofrimento, diversos eventos estressores e deflagram o processo de luto antecipatório que é atualizado a cada perda funcional que acontece em decorrência da doença. A paternidade de um filho com deficiência foi percebida por eles como um fator que os fez sentirem-se \"pais especiais\", promovendo também amadurecimento e crescimento pessoais. Os pais atribuíram à paternidade o significado de missão a ser cumprida e este significado foi permeado pelo sistema de crenças e valores religiosos. O significado dado à \"paternidade especial\" influenciou positivamente na adaptação à doença, pois favoreceu a elaboração psíquica, mantendo-os motivados frente à adversidade. Conhecer e compreender como os pais vivenciam a paternidade na presença de uma doença crônica/deficiência é fundamental para que se estabeleçam programas de acompanhamento psicológico e assistência não somente para os pais, mas para toda a família, visando à promoção de apoio e estratégias de enfrentamento para uma melhor adaptação à enfermidade e à paternidade. / In our culture to marry and have children are steps in the process of human development that have broad social and psychological meaning and to become a father/mother is a stage in the life cycle that brings significant changes for both the family and its members. As well as motherhood having its meanings for the woman fatherhood also has them and this is influenced by the concepts, beliefs and values of the men concerning the paternal role. The literature indicates that the presence of a chronic illness/disability of the child affects how these men exercise fatherhood. This study aimed to understand the experience of fatherhood in fathers of boys diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and the consequences of the presence of the disease in the social and family interactions. Participants were eight fathers whose children, aged ten years and over, had been diagnosed with DMD, living in Ribeirão Preto and surrounding cities. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured script and analyzed using thematic content analysis. The results show that the news of the confirmation of the DMD diagnosis triggered a reaction of shock, coexisting with feelings of sadness, helplessness and hopelessness. Denial was the psychic defense most used by them and the majority of the fathers considered the illness of the child a mission sent from God, thereby decreasing the pain and anguish caused by the illness. The fathers used a variety of resources to cope with the illnesses of their sons, from seeking information regarding treatment/cure for the disease to religion, which appeared as a positive factor that helped them cope with the most difficult situations. They presented physical and mental overload, as well as constant concern and sadness because of the great dependence on care of the sick son. The exercise of fatherhood was shown to be more participatory and the relationship with the child was evaluated as one of companionship. From the perception of the disease symptoms, the fathers experienced many losses that exposed them to great suffering, many stressful events and triggered the process of anticipatory mourning that was upgraded with every functional loss that occured as a result of the disease. They perceived fatherhood of a child with disabilities to be a factor that made them feel like \"special parents\" and also promoted maturation and personal growth. The fathers attributed the meaning of a mission to be fulfilled to the fatherhood and this meaning was permeated by a system of religious beliefs and values. The meaning given to \"special fatherhood\" positively influenced the adaptation to the disease, as it favored psychic elaboration, keeping them motivated in the face of adversity. To know and comprehend how fathers experience fatherhood in the presence of a chronic disease/disability is fundamental to be able to establish psychological counseling and care programs, not only for parents but for the entire family, aiming to promote support and coping strategies for better adaptation to the illness and to fatherhood.

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Tatiana Almeida.pdf: 2501905 bytes, checksum: a151f5199000620f0cab3dc5fa469f8d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-05-12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / From a behavior analytic perspective, the obsessive-compulsive behaviors (OCB) are understood as being controlled by environmental variables interacting with the behaving organism. This study aimed to describe the family interactions that could be controlling the emission of these behaviors through interviews with the persons involved and through direct observation. The participants were a fifteen year-old teenager who presented OCB and his mother (the only family member living with him). This research was developed in two stages. First, interviews with both participants were carried out. The goal of the interviews was to survey the controlling variables of OCB and get more information about the habits of the family and the house. On the second stage of the research, the behaviors of the participants (obsessive-compulsive behaviors and other related behaviors) were observed, which lasted for twenty-two days. Four video cameras were installed in the participants house. The purposes of the video recording were: 1) to check if the verbal descriptions obtained through the interviews would be observed in the family s daily routine; 2) to identify other controlling variables of OCB not clear in the interviews. The main results found were: 1) the number of responses emitted by the teenager classified as obsessive and/or compulsive was high when compared to the number of his responses classified as socially appropriate and inappropriate; 2) the percentage of responses classified as obsessive and/or compulsive emitted when the mother was present was higher (59% of the recorded responses) than the percentage of the responses emitted in the absence of the mother (40,5% of the recorded behaviors). The mother was present when 84% of the responses classified as socially inappropriate were emitted, and when 72,1% of the responses classified as socially appropriate were emitted. The mother was absent in 15,4% of the responses classified as socially inappropriate and in 27,9% of the responses classified as socially appropriate; 3) 57% of the responses classified as obsessive and/or compulsive were followed by the mother s attention and after 43% of the responses, the mother behaved as to withdrawn attention as a consequence of his child s behavior. The difference between the number of responses followed by attention (higher number) and the number of responses followed by lack of attention (lower number) was repeated for the groups of responses classified as socially appropriate and socially inappropriate. The results confirm what has been shown by studies in the field, that is, the family is an important controlling variable in the maintenance of OCB / De um ponto de vista da análise do comportamento, entende-se que o comportamento obsessivo-compulsivo (COC) seja controlado por variáveis ambientais em interação com o organismo. Este estudo procurou descrever as interações familiares que poderiam estar controlando a emissão desse comportamento por meio da realização de entrevistas e de observação direta. Participaram do presente estudo um adolescente de quinze anos de idade que apresentava COC e sua mãe (único membro da família que residia com ele). A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em duas partes distintas. Na primeira delas realizou-se entrevistas com os dois participantes com o objetivo de iniciar um levantamento das variáveis controladoras do COC e ainda obter maiores informações a respeito do funcionamento da residência e da família. Na segunda parte da pesquisa foi desenvolvido um trabalho de observação dos comportamentos do sujeito (comportamentos obsessivos e outros a eles relacionados) que teve a duração de vinte e dois dias. Foram instaladas quatro câmeras de vídeo na residência dos participantes. Os objetivos da filmagem foram: 1) verificar se as respostas obtidas por meio das entrevistas seriam observadas no dia-a-dia da família; 2) destacar outras fontes de controle do COC não evidentes nas entrevistas. Os principais resultados encontrados foram: 1) o número de respostas consideradas obsessivas e/ou compulsivas emitidas pelo participante foi alto se comparado ao número de respostas consideradas socialmente adequadas e inadequadas emitidas por ele; 2) o número de respostas consideradas obsessivas e/ou compulsivas emitidas pelo sujeito na presença da mãe foi um pouco maior (59% das respostas) que o número de respostas emitidas na ausência da mãe (40,5% das respostas). A mãe esteve presente em 84,6% das respostas emitidas pelo participante consideradas socialmente inadequadas em 72,1% das respostas consideradas socialmente adequadas. A mãe esteve ausente em 15,4% das respostas consideradas socialmente inadequadas e em 27,9% respostas consideradas socialmente adequadas; 3) 57% das respostas emitidas pelo participante consideradas obsessivas e/ou compulsivas tiveram como conseqüência atenção da mãe e em 43% a mãe se comportou de forma a suspender a atenção em seqüência ao comportamento do filho. A diferença entre o número de respostas consequenciadas por atenção (maior número) e por ausência de atenção (menor número) repetiu-se para os grupos de respostas consideradas socialmente inadequadas e adequadas emitidas pelo participante. Os resultados apresentados confirmam o que vem sendo apresentado pela literatura da área no que diz respeito à importância da família como parte fundamental na manutenção de COC