Nursing students’ discourses on family.

摘要

This is a descriptive study that aims to understand how nursing students perceive family. The sample was composed of 10 fourth-year-nursing students of Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, municipal district of Cascavel, State of Paraná, Brazil, in 1999. Data was obtained through a questionnaire about what family is, who constitutes the family and how family is perceived in patient’s care. After data analysis, the following categories were found: family as basis for individuals and society formation; family as constitution; family as a psychosocial element; family in recovery and treatment; family in information and orientation. The results reinforce the belief of family’s importance in patient's care and the relevance to know how people conceptualize, perceive and interact with family in order to make family care a reality.