Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: MILANA SAYONARA GOMES DA SILVA

HIGH RISK STORIES: A PROFESSIONAL LITERACY PRACTICE PROMOTED BY HOSPITAL PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT

Keywords: Health Literacy. Women in high-risk situations. High-Risk Stories.

The concept for this research first emerged around 2017 when we became aware of an ongoing project at Maternidade Januário Cicco in Natal/RN. The project, led by the psychological support team of the hospital, aimed to assist pregnant patients in the high-risk sector undergoing hospitalization. Its core objective was to provide these women with the opportunity to articulate their experiences and emotions in notebooks resembling diaries, whether related to the hospitalization process or their daily lives before admission.In light of this, the proposed investigation seeks to analyze literacy practices associated with the project titled "High-Risk Stories." To achieve this, we rely on the insights shared by the professionals overseeing the project, as it is currently impractical to consult the participating women due to the temporary suspension of the project. The research falls within the domain of Applied Linguistics (Moita Lopes, 2006; Kleiman, 2019) and adopts a field research design (Gil, 2008) with a qualitative approach (Bogdan; Biklen, 1994) to data. Two professionals from the psychological support team of the maternity unit in question participate in the research, and their responses to questionnaires and semi-structured interviews constitute the analytical corpus for this investigation.Theoretical underpinnings draw upon discussions within Literacy Studies as a social practice (Kleiman, 1995; 2014; Oliveira), health literacy (Paz, 2008), as well as works addressing the therapeutic aspect of writing (Sexton; Pennebaker, 2009), among others. Preliminary findings from the study underscore the significance of the literacy practices implemented by the project, which, in conjunction with medical/hospital treatment, substantially facilitated the women's journey through the hospitalization process.