Family profiles of mentally disabled individuals in an institution in Jequié - BA / Perfil das famílias de portadores de deficiência mental institucionalizados na cidade de Jequié - BA

ABSTRACT

Background: The study of mental disablement characterization in Brazil is rare, specially in Northeast. Methods: A questionnaire has been applied in 32.73% of the institutionalized mental disabled' families in Jequié - BA. Data analysis have been done using descriptive statistics. Results: The individuals are 14.34 ± 7.55 years old and sex ratio of 0.38 (1F:2.6M). The average parental age was 38 ± 12.01 years old for the fathers and 29.87 ± 8.31 years old for the mothers. Existence of family history of mental disablement and congenitals defects in 27.78% and 5.56% (respectively) of the analyzed cases. Discussion: The predominance of males should be explained by various types of mental disablement associated to X chromosome. From the studied sample, it is not too obvious the relation between high parental age and mental disablement occurrence. The familiar recurrence of mental disablement and congenital defects is higher than in others studies. Conclusion: The analyzed data reinforce the need to investigate the genetic factors related to mental disablement and the perform cytogenetic tests of the individuals and their parents, for genetic counseling.