How do mothers feel? Life with children with congenital Zika syndrome

Abstract

Objecve: To describe the repercussions, from the perspecves of caregiver mothers, of conrmed congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) in their ospring.Methods: A descripve- exploratory study with a qualitave approach was carried out in the state of Espírito Santo in southeastern Brazil, with 25 women who had a child diagnosed with CZS.Results: Emerging themes from the content analysis were grouped into two categories: (1) inequalies experienced by mothers, including social inequality, poverty, and gender inequality; (2) the impact of a child with CZS on mothering, including feelings at the me of diagnosis, maternal isolaon and mental health, experiences of sgma and prejudice, and exhausng ineraries searching for therapeuc care.Conclusion: The repercussions of CZS were a huge burden on already vulnerable women, and social inequalies and poverty were important markers in the mothers’ reports. Many of the families aected by CZS already lived in precarious social condions and these condions were exacerbated further. Robust public and social policies to support these mothers need eecve implementaon given that babies born with CZS need long- term care and support