Abstract

BRAGA, Iara Falleiros et al. Network and social support to adolescent and young homosexuals facing violence. Psicol. clin. [online]. 2017, vol.29, n.2, pp.297-318. ISSN 0103-5665.

The aim of this study is to provide an integrative review of the literature about the network and social support to young and adolescent homosexuals facing violence. PubMed, LILACS, CINAHL and SciELO databases were consulted, considering publications from 2010 to 2015. Nine articles were selected. The results show that the social network, through its structure, composition and functional characteristics, through social support, is associated with the reduction of sexual risk behavior, the consumption of psychoactive substances and exposure to sexual harassment, among other potential benefits. The study also focuses on the contributions of the network and social support to increasing resilience in coping with situations of stigma and discrimination. It is concluded that the network and social support contribute to reducing the vulnerability to which adolescents and young homosexuals are exposed daily, however, the lack of Brazilian studies, especially research on female homosexuality, highligths this theme’s invisibility in the scientific literature. There is a need to provoke new reflections for understanding the complexity of the phenomenon, throwing light on the occurrence of public policies aimed at health promotion and protection of homosexual youth. It is necessary to provoke new reflections to understand the complexity of the phenomenon, throwing light on the need for public policies aimed at health promotion and protection of young and adolescent homosexuals.

Keywords : adolescent; young; homosexuality; social network; social support.

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