02017nas a2200217   4500000000100000008004100001653001200042653002600054653002200080653001100102100001500113700001500128700001400143700001400157700002300171245009800194856007500292300001200367490000700379520141300386       2018                            d10aleprosy10aSocial representation10aAdolescent health10aFamily1 aMarinho FD1 aAvellar LZ1 aSouza LGS1 aNardi SMT1 aCorrêa Coutinho G00aLeprosy: meanings and experiences among adolescents with the disease and their family members  uhttp://www.scielo.br/pdf/cadbto/v26n4/2526-8910-cadbto-26-04-00837.pdf  a837-8480 v263 a<p>This research aimed at understanding the social representations of leprosy constructed by adolescents with the disease and their family members, including their perception about the impact of the disease in their daily life. Data of semi-structured interviews with 19 adolescents aged 12-18 years receiving medical treatment for leprosy and with 18 family members who lived in the same address were collected. Data were treated with thematic content analysis. Results showed that the emotion of fear and beliefs about contagion and prejudice were important elements of the leprosy representations. Participants perceived important negative changes in their daily life after diagnosis confirmation including suffering caused by the routine of medical procedures and physical pain. Patients perceived discrimination in the relationship with family members and friends, associated to the fear of contagion, and reported practices of concealment of signs of the disease to their peers. It was concluded that, given the permanence of a the archaic view of the disease and the impacts caused on the daily life of adolescents with leprosy and their families, it is necessary to expand information about the disease, to rethink health practices and to establish dialogic meetings in order to enable the reflection and construction of new meanings in relation to the disease, improving their quality of life.</p>