Summary

The study referring to coping behavior, describes and analyses the strategies employed, facing stressing situations, specially the ones present in hospitals experienced by the children and their families. This study investigated the coping strategies of parents of patients, with cleft lip and palate, during the expectation period for Alveolar Bone Graft surgery, in the HRAC-USP. The most important dada were: the expectation period considered as stressing 46% of the parents reacted in a cognitive and mental way and 71% of the parents demonstrated more elaborated answers, supported by the aids offered by the hospital assistance system and by the experience of previous surgeries. Considering that parents have an important role in the surgical process; specially the post operatory procedure, the analyses of the strategies of coping employed during the expectation for the surgery will allow the hospital the development of support techniques and/or information concerning the minimization of the stress.