Interactions between Siblings in Institutional Sheltering: A Case Study

The aim of the research was to analyze the interaction between siblings and their peers in institutional sheltering, debating the contextual conditions of the institution. A group of siblings took part in the research, in total there were four children housed in a big institution the city of Belém, Pará. The data was collected through the record sheets and the observation of the children's interaction, making use of the socio-focal observation technique. The interactive episodes among the children were categorized into interactions that involved sharing, conflict, cooperation, competition, behavior similarity, affection and search for closeness. The results showed that the siblings spent more time and increased frequency of interacting with themselves, among the most common categories were the search for closeness, affection and cooperation. The data raise the debate about sheltering institutions, especially in regards to establishing the relationship between siblings in this kind of institution and the strategies used by them to keep their bonds.