Abstract

HORTA, Cristina Lessa et al. Effects of peer vitimization on the use of psychoactive substances and violent behavior in adolescents. Estud. psicol. (Natal) [online]. 2019, vol.24, n.4, pp. 402-413. ISSN 1413-294X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.22491/1678-4669.20190040.

A cross-sectional, school-based study that evaluated whether victimization by peers is associated with polydrug use and involvement in violent behavior (fights and/or carrying arms). A total of 3,547 students from the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, with a mean age of 14 years (SD = 1.66) participated. Sampling was randomized, stratified by gender, age, municipality and educational network. Data were collected in 2012, through a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive analyzes were performed using the Pearson's Chi Square test and a Structural Equations Model. It has been shown that victimization is associated with polydrug use only when there is psychological distress and negative relationship with father and/or mother, and is associated with the greater involvement with violent behaviors even directly or mediated by the adolescents' relationship with parents and adolescents' mental health. It is concluded that victimization seems to foster violent behavior, denouncing the existence of a vicious cycle of aggression and reinforcing the importance of being confronted.

Keywords : bullying; drugs; family relations; violence; adolescence.

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