Abstract

SILVEIRA, Maria Angélica de Souza da; MARUSCHI, Maria Cristina  and  BAZON, Marina Rezende. Risk and protection for adolescents engaged in practices of offensive conduct. Rev. bras. crescimento desenvolv. hum. [online]. 2012, vol.22, n.3, pp.348-357. ISSN 0104-1282.

Adolescence is a crucial stage of human development, and adolescents are vulnerable to risk factors associated with adaptations at the developmental stages. The objective of this study was to describe the experience of adolescents exposed to risks and the protective factors that lead to the development of risky behaviors, specifically offensive conduct, considering aspects highlighted in the literature, such as family; psychological development; attitude; social behavior; schooling; relationships with peers; leisure activities and alcohol and drugs use. Twenty-four male teenagers were interviewed, 12 of them considered with good social adaptation (recruited from public schools) and 12 had a criminal conduct (recruited from hearings at the District Attorney office). The aim was to underscore variables that appear to promote maladaptive responses, acting as a risk factors, and to ensure adaptive responses as protective factors against adversities. The data collected were subjected to the content analysis. The results indicated that adolescents with good social adjustment, although subject to risk factors, especially within the family, are exposed to more protective factors that youth offenders, especially in the school environment. This group can be considered, therefore, vulnerable due to lack of protective factors. This aspect should be considered in preventive interventional programs in this area.

Keywords : adolescent; risk; protection; social development.

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