VULNERABILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS IN THE FAMILY: A CASE STUDY USING THE COELHO-SAVASSI AND FIRO SCALE

Abstract

This study analyzes the case of a 14-year-old adolescent living in a context marked by structural poverty, domestic violence, and significant weaknesses in the Psychosocial Care Network (RAPS). The adolescent has a history of anxiety since childhood, exacerbated by self-harm behaviors, suicidal ideation, and school bullying, within a family environment characterized by fragile bonds, generational conflicts, and inappropriate use of psychotropic medication. This is a qualitative and descriptive case study conducted through a semi-structured interview, home visit, and document analysis. Two complementary instruments were used for data analysis: the Coelho-Savassi Scale, applied in a dialogical manner to identify socio-family risk, and the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation (FIRO) instrument, applied interpretively to understand relational patterns across the dimensions of inclusion, control, and intimacy. The main findings indicate a maximum socio-family risk level (R3), resulting from multiple structural vulnerabilities such as lack of sanitation, paternal alcoholism, economic instability, inadequate housing conditions, and a history of violence. At the relational level, conflicts between mother and daughter, low emotional intimacy, and family control marked by violence and reactivity were observed. These factors are further aggravated by the precariousness of the care network, evidenced by long waiting lists at the Child and Adolescent Psychosocial Care Center (CAPSi) and institutional insufficiency. The study highlights the need for intersectoral actions and integrated evaluative methodologies to strengthen multiprofessional care within Primary Health Care (PHC), contributing to more sensitive and context-aware interventions in adolescent mental health in situations of social vulnerability.