Abstract
Abortion is a serious public health problem. Studies about the performance of health professionals with adolescents in situations of abortion, carried out in the tertiary obstetric care services in Salvador, Bahia, have shown that a series of stereotypes and a lack of knowledge about their characteristics lay upon those adolescents. However, such studies have not dealt with the praxis of Psychology in a particularized manner. The current research aimed to characterize the performance of psychologists on adolescents in situations of abortion. A qualitative exploratory study was carried out through the Discourse Analysis of 14 interviews with psychologists from six maternity hospitals in Salvador. It became evident that the performance of the psychologists was supported by theoretical-conceptual references, which enabled them to deal with the singularity of the adolescents, in each act of listening. It was determined that the practice of the psychologists is in tune with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health for the humanization of assistance. Nevertheless, some of the interviewees did not fully know the documents produced by the Ministry of Health – guidelines for the practice in these spaces - suggesting that the texts related to public policies were not among their main interests. At the same time, this lack of knowledge questions the institutional commitment for the diffusion of more democratizing public policies. The research showed that the psychologists are sensitive to the peculiarities of the adolescents, making them visible in the psychology field. They were also able to perform a precise reading on different aspects of institutional violence that affects these attendees in situations of abortion. Thus, the reported actions indicated a more humanizing paradigm of healthcare.
Adolescents; Abortion; Public Policies; Psychology