Defense mechanisms used by adolescents with premature babies in neonatal ICU

Abstract

Adolescent motherhood, in the context of neonatal hospitalization, causes the health professional to need to understand the specificities of this phase of the life cycle and peculiarities of the mother-hospitalized baby dyad. This study aims to analyze life experiences in the puerperium of first-time adolescent mothers with premature babies hospitalized in the neonatal ICU. We use the Clinical-Qualitative Method, with intentional sampling, in 7 adolescents aged between 13-19 years old. Semi-directed interviews were used and the data underwent thematic analysis and are discussed in a psychodynamic approach. We observed that to deal with the conflicting feelings of omnipotence, affliction, ambivalence, estrangement, shock, confusion, surprise, anger, fear, sadness, anguish, pain, guilt, joy and affection, these adolescents used primitive defense mechanisms: denial, dissociation, splitting and idealization, which are inefficient and require great expenditure of psychic energy. Identifying these defense mechanisms is fundamental to an appropriate therapeutic formulation.