O BRINCAR E A CRIANÇA: NARRATIVAS DA INFÂNCIA NA BRINQUEDOTECA HOSPITALAR

Abstract

The present Master’s research is linked to the research line Comprehensive health care for children, adolescents, and pregnant women, of the Graduate Program in Health and Development in the Center-West Region, of the Faculty of Medicine of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul. Based on the contributions of the Sociology of Childhood, the research understands childhood as a plural phenomenon, marked by multiple forms of experience, recognizing children as subjects of rights beyond the school space. In this context, hospitalization emerges as a generally adverse experience, permeated by pain, anxiety, fear, and feelings of abandonment, which reinforces the importance of play as a genuine resource of expression, symbolic elaboration, and promotion of children’s emotional well-being. At this stage, play stands out as the most genuine way by which the child expresses and elaborates their experiences, functioning as an essential mechanism for their emotional well-being. The general objective is to investigate hospitalized children’s perceptions of the importance and impact of the hospital playroom on their emotional well-being and recovery, taking their own narratives as the central axis of analysis and contributing to the discussion of children’s fundamental rights, with emphasis on guaranteeing and promoting those rights during hospitalization. The study was carried out at the Maria Aparecida Pedrossian University Hospital (HUMAP-UFMS) and adopted a qualitative approach. Data were produced from interviews and observations recorded in a field diary, which made it possible to identify, interpret, and analyze emerging patterns in the children’s narratives. The results reveal significant elements for understanding their experiences and needs, highlighting the playroom as an essential space not only for leisure, but also for care, welcoming, and the realization of rights in the hospital environment.