A parte que falta: A experiência emocional do gêmeo sobrevivente

Abstract

An increase in multiple pregnancies has been observed, due to both advanced maternal age and assisted reproductive techniques, which has prompted more scientific studies on twinship, including the field of Psychoanalysis. However, there is a noticeable lack of studies in the national literature concerning the psychic constitution of the surviving twin — that is, the one who results from a twin pregnancy in which the other baby died in the perinatal context. Thus, with the aim of investigating the emotional experience of the surviving twin, individual interviews were conducted with four adult participants, using an illustration as a mediating resource. Based on a psychoanalytic analysis of the material — supported by the writing of transferential narratives and the organization of content according to the Theory of Fields — it was possible to identify significant suffering on the part of the surviving twin. As they progress through emotional development, these individuals often face grieving and emotionally fragile parents, whom they feel compelled to preserve, rather than depend on. This study, therefore, contributes to the capacity of professionals working in the perinatal field to offer sensitive interventions for couples who have experienced the loss of a baby resulting from a twin pregnancy and, consequently, to promote preventive support for surviving twins.