Several studies have pointed to the siblings interaction as affecting the infantile development
throughout different contexts, bringing contributions to the comprehension of the groups
social structure dynamics and organization, as well as the preferences and types of the
established interactions. The Child and Adolescent Statute emphasizes that the parental and
relative bonds must be protected and strengthened in an attempt to contribute for the
children’s identities formation, preserving their life history and family references.
Considering the specificities of the infantile institutional environment as a collective care
facility, the study of siblings would provide information about the peculiar traits involving
this interaction. The objective of the study was to describe and analyze the interaction among
siblings and its peers in institutional sheltering, discussing the contextual conditions of the
institution . Four groups of siblings composed by 10 children of both sexes participated in the
research. The ages varied from three to seven years, all of them sheltered in a large size
institution funded by the State Government, located in Belém, Pará. In the institution the
children were separated in age-groups dorms, only two siblings were found living in the same
dormitory. Data were collected trough the children institutional files and observation of their
interactions. A focal-subject technique targeting each sibling was used. For every child six
observational sections lasting 10 minutes each were performed totalizing 60 minutes. The
interactive episodes were classified in interactions involving: sharing, conflict, cooperation,
competition, behavior similarities, affection and proximity seeking. The main results showed:
1) the kids are from lower social classes families, being sheltered due to abandonment,
poverty and parents related issues. In most of the cases (seven out of ten), the children are
recidivist in the shelter, having spent more time in the shelter than with the family living; 2)
analyzing the peers and the interaction time, the siblings of the group 1 showed a greater
number of interactions among themselves and a greater amount of time dedicated to these
interactions, mainly among siblings who lived in the same dorm (I1 and I2) and in closer agegroup dorms (I3 and I4). For the remaining groups same aged peers interactions prevailed,
both in frequency and in duration of the interaction. Only one interactive episode among
siblings took place in group 3 and none in group 4; 3) in what concerns to the content of the
siblings interaction, there was a greater frequency of the proximity seeking, affection and
cooperation categories, while among peers prevailed cooperation, conflict, and behavior
similarities interactions. The presented data fosters the debate involving sheltering
institutions, stimulating the effecting to the resolutions and acting on the strengthening of the
family relations and the siblings bonds.
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