Tonic Immobility is Associated with PTSD Symptoms in Traumatized Adolescents.

PURPOSE: Growing evidence suggests that peritraumatic tonic immobility, an involuntary defensive response that involves extreme physical immobility and the perceived inability to escape, is a significant predictor of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. However, this issue has not been specifically addressed in adolescents. Here, we investigated whether tonic immobility response experienced during the worst childhood or adolescent trauma is associated with PTSD symptom severity in a non-clinical student sample. METHODS: The sample was composed of students in 9th grade who were attending public and private schools. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress and tonic immobility were assessed using questionnaires. We performed bivariate and multivariate negative binomial regressions to examine whether tonic immobility was associated with PTSD symptomatology after controlling for confounders (peritraumatic dissociation, peritraumatic panic reactions, gender, age and time since trauma). RESULTS: We found an association between tonic immobility and PTSD symptom severity, even after controlling for confounders. Therefore, tonic immobility is associated with PTSD symptoms in trauma-exposed adolescents. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight tonic immobility as a possible risk factor that could be used to provide direction for more targeted trauma interventions for individuals, particularly those at risk for developing PTSD. Therefore, it contributes to preventing and reducing the psychiatric burden in adolescence and later in life.

Attentional subdomains' deficits in Brazilian patients with major depressive episodes.

OBJECTIVE: Studies conducted in developed countries have shown that attentional impairment is commonly seen in patients with major depressive disorders (MDD). There is a lack of studies using culture-free neuropsychological instruments. Additionally, attention consists of different subdomains. Deficits in subdomains have not been investigated in MDD. Studies on subdomains using systematic frameworks are needed. We aimed to verify the percentage of Brazilian MDD patients with attention deficits, using a culture-free instrument; compare different attention subdomains in MDD patients with paired controls; find the subdomain that best discriminated controls from MDD patients. METHOD: Forty-five unmedicated patients currently with MDD and 45 age- and sex-matched controls participated in the study. Attention performance was measured by a Go/No-go task which detected omission errors, commission errors, reaction time (RT), and variability of reaction time (VRT). These variables assess four specific subdomains: focused attention (omission errors), response inhibition (commission errors), alertness (RT), and sustained attention (VRT). MANCOVAs were used to test group differences and logistic regressions to find the strongest predictor of MDD. RESULTS: Compared with normative data, 73.3% of the patients and 17.7% of the controls exhibited attention deficits, defined as a z-score < 2.0 on two or more subdomains. Depressed patients showed poorer performance in all attention subdomains. The VRT variable was the strongest predictor of MDD. Lapses in attention as the test progresses affected the stability of RTs and increased VRT in MDD patients. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of the depressive patients shows attention deficits, as described in developed countries; all attention subdomains are affected in MDD patients; sustained attention is the most affected subdomain. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Does Prenatal Stress Shape Postnatal Resilience? - An Epigenome-Wide Study on Violence and Mental Health in Humans.

Stress during pregnancy widely associates with epigenetic changes and psychiatric problems during childhood. Animal studies, however, show that under specific postnatal conditions prenatal stress may have other, less detrimental consequences for the offspring. Here, we studied mental health and epigenome-wide DNA methylation in saliva following intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy in São Gonçalo, a Brazilian city with high levels of violence. Not surprisingly, mothers exposed to pregnancy IPV expressed elevated depression, PTSD and anxiety symptoms. Children had similar psychiatric problems when they experienced maternal IPV after being born. More surprisingly, when maternal IPV occurred both during (prenatal) and after pregnancy these problems were absent. Following prenatal IPV, genomic sites in genes encoding the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) and its repressor FKBP51 (FKBP5) were among the most differentially methylated and indicated an enhanced ability to terminate hormonal stress responses in prenatally stressed children. These children also showed more DNA methylation in heterochromatin-like regions, which previously has been associated with stress/disease resilience. A similar relationship was seen in prenatally stressed middle-eastern refugees of the same age as the São Gonçalo children but exposed to postnatal war-related violence. While our study is limited in location and sample size, it provides novel insights on how prenatal stress may epigenetically shape resilience in humans, possibly through interactions with the postnatal environment. This translates animal findings and emphasizes the importance to account for population differences when studying how early life gene-environment interactions affects mental health.

Socioeconomic inequalities and child mental health.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between sociodemographic determinants and the development of social competence and behavior problems in children. METHODS: Cross-sectional study performed with 479 school children aged between six and 13 years, enrolled in the first grade of public elementary schools of the city of São Gonçalo, Southeastern Brazil, in 2005. Socioeconomic variables, family structure, parents' level of education, child ethnicity, and social competence and behavior problems were analyzed. Prevalence ratios with respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Data shown were expanded to the population of students of the school network investigated. RESULTS: Children who were below the poverty line, who had black skin color, whose parents had low level of education, and lived with single-parent families or comprised by stepmother/stepfather showed lower social competence and more behavior problems. The higher the risk factors, the higher the prevalence of children with low social competence and behavior problems. CONCLUSIONS: The association between sociodemographic determinants and higher prevalence of behavior problems and lower social competence in children requires that preventive and care actions should be prioritized by public policies, reducing severe social and emotional difficulties in children, which may continue into adulthood.

Desigualdades socioeconômicas e saúde mental infantil / Desigualdades socioeconómicas y salud mental infantil / Socioeconomic inequalities and child mental health

OBJETIVO: Analisar a associação de determinantes sociodemográficos com o desenvolvimento de problemas de comportamento e de competência social em crianças. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal realizado com 479 escolares entre seis e 13 anos de idade, da primeira série do ensino fundamental de escolas públicas em São Gonçalo (RJ), em 2005. Foram investigadas variáveis socioeconômicas, estrutura familiar, escolaridade dos pais, cor da pele da criança, problemas de comportamento e competência social. Foram calculadas razões de prevalência com respectivo intervalo com 95 por cento de confiança. Os dados apresentados foram expandidos para a população de alunos da rede de ensino investigada. RESULTADOS: Crianças abaixo da linha de pobreza, de cor da pele negra, com pais com baixa escolaridade, e vivendo em famílias monoparentais ou compostas por madrasta/padrasto apresentaram mais precária competência social e mais problemas de comportamento. À medida que se elevavam os fatores de risco, crescia a prevalência das crianças com baixa competência social e problemas de comportamento. CONCLUSÕES: A associação entre os determinantes sociodemográficos com a maior prevalência de problemas de comportamento e com mais precária competência social em crianças requer que ações preventivas e de assistência sejam tomadas como prioridade para as políticas públicas, minorando a existência de dificuldades sociais e emocionais infantis graves, que podem se manter até a vida adulta.

[Depressive symptoms during adolescence: a study on psychosocial factors in a sample of teenage students in a city in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil]. / Sintomas depressivos na adolescência: estudo sobre fatores psicossociais em amostra de escolares de um município do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

This study's objective was to identify individual, social, and familial risk factors for depressive symptoms in adolescent students. The study included 1,923 seventh and eighth-grade (junior high) students and first and second-year high school students in public and private schools from a city in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Depressive symptoms were evaluated with the SRQ-20 scale (Harding, 1980) and resilience scale (Wagnild & Young, 1993). Hierarchical logistic regression was the analytical method used. Symptoms of depression were present in 10% of adolescents. Girls had more than twice the odds of presenting these symptoms (CI: 1.58-3.67); adolescent children of divorced parents had 73% greater odds of depression (CI: 1.16-2.57); victims of serious physical abuse by mothers had 6.49 times the odds (CI: 2.07-20.30); those with low self-esteem, 6.43 greater odds (CI: 2.63-15.68); and those displaying dissatisfaction with their lives, 3.19 greater odds (CI: 2.08-4.89). The findings highlight the urgent need to improve public health policies for adolescents, especially at the preventive level, including psychosocial strategies with the development of a treatment network.

Sintomas depressivos na adolescência: estudo sobre fatores psicossociais em amostra de escolares de um município do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil / Depressive symptoms during adolescence: a study on psychosocial factors in a sample of teenage students in a city in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Este estudo objetiva identificar fatores sócio-demográficos, familiares e individuais potencialmente de risco à sintomatologia depressiva de adolescentes escolares. Baseia-se num estudo transversal com 1.923 alunos das 7ª e 8ª séries do Ensino Fundamental e 1º e 2º anos do Ensino Médio de escolas públicas e privadas de um município do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. A sintomatologia depressiva foi aferida através de itens da SRQ-20 (Harding, 1980) e da escala de resiliência (Wagnild e Young, 1993). Para análise, utilizou-se a regressão logística hierárquica. Os resultados revelam que 10 por cento dos adolescentes apresentam sintomatologia depressiva. Meninas têm mais que o dobro de chance de apresentar esses sintomas do que os meninos (IC: 1,58-3,67); vítimas de violência severa cometida pela mãe têm 6,49 mais chances (IC: 2,07-20,3); adolescentes que vivenciaram separação dos pais têm 73 por cento mais chances (IC: 1,16-2,57); adolescentes com baixa auto-estima têm 6,43 mais chances (IC: 2,63-15,68) e aqueles que estão insatisfeitos com a vida têm 3,19 mais chances (IC: 2,08-4,89) de apresentar sintomas de depressão. Discute-se a necessidade de políticas públicas eficazes ao atendimento do adolescente, em nível preventivo, contemplando aspectos psicossociais estratégicos, formando uma rede de tratamento.

This study's objective was to identify individual, social, and familial risk factors for depressive symptoms in adolescent students. The study included 1,923 seventh and eighth-grade (junior high) students and first and second-year high school students in public and private schools from a city in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Depressive symptoms were evaluated with the SRQ-20 scale (Harding, 1980) and resilience scale (Wagnild Young, 1993). Hierarchical logistic regression was the analytical method used. Symptoms of depression were present in 10 percent of adolescents. Girls had more than twice the odds of presenting these symptoms (CI: 1.58-3.67); adolescent children of divorced parents had 73 percent greater odds of depression (CI: 1.16-2.57); victims of serious physical abuse by mothers had 6.49 times the odds (CI: 2.07-20.30); those with low self-esteem, 6.43 greater odds (CI: 2.63-15.68); and those displaying dissatisfaction with their lives, 3.19 greater odds (CI: 2.08-4.89). The findings highlight the urgent need to improve public health policies for adolescents, especially at the preventive level, including psychosocial strategies with the development of a treatment network.

Fatores associados aos problemas de saúde mental em adolescentes / Associated factors with mental health problems in adolescents

O objetivo do artigo foi investigar os problemas de saúde mental de adolescentes escolares e identificar alguns aspectos individuais, sociais e familiares associados ao seu desenvolvimento. Baseia-se num inquérito epidemiológico com 1.923 alunos de 7ª/8ª séries e de 1º/2º anos de escolas públicas e privadas do município de São Gonçalo, RJ. Para aferir os transtornos psiquiátricos menores utilizou-se a escala Self-Reported Questionnarie. Foram avaliadas questões relativas aos aspectos individuais, familiares e sociais. Utilizou-se a Regressão Logística Simples, tendo a razão de chances como medida para interpretação dos resultados. Constatou-se que violência psicológica, eventos difíceis do relacionamento familiar, auto-estima, satisfação com a vida, sexo e competência na escola se mantiveram no modelo final, indicando seu potencial em comprometer a saúde mental. A apresentação dos dados pode subsidiar o desenvolvimento de políticas públicas para o atendimento do adolescente, especialmente em termos preventivo e de promoção à saúde na área de saúde mental.

This article aims at investigating the mental health problems of school adolescents and identifying individual, social and family aspects associated with its development. It is based on an epidemical survey with 1923 students of the 7th and 8th grades of Elementary School and 1st and 2nd years of High School of public and private schools of municipality of São Gonçalo, RJ. The scale Self-Reported Questionnaire was used to evaluate Minor Psychiatric Morbidity. Individual, social and family aspects were evaluated. Simple Logistic Regression was utilized and the odds ratio was the measure to interpret the results. Psychological violence, difficult family life events, self-esteem, satisfaction with life, sex and school competence were maintained in the final model, indicating their potential to compromise mental health. The presentation of the data can subsidize the development of public policies for the attendance of the adolescent, especially in the preventive level and in the promotion of health in the mental health area.

Fatores associados aos problemas de saúde mental em adolescentes / Associated factors with mental health problems in adolescents

O objetivo do artigo foi investigar os problemas de saúde mental de adolescentes escolares e identificar alguns aspectos individuais, sociais e familiares associados ao seu desenvolvimento. Baseia-se num inquérito epidemiológico com 1.923 alunos de 7ª/8ª séries e de 1º/2º anos de escolas públicas e privadas do município de São Gonçalo, RJ. Para aferir os transtornos psiquiátricos menores utilizou-se a escala Self-Reported Questionnarie. Foram avaliadas questões relativas aos aspectos individuais, familiares e sociais. Utilizou-se a Regressão Logística Simples, tendo a razão de chances como medida para interpretação dos resultados. Constatou-se que violência psicológica, eventos difíceis do relacionamento familiar, auto-estima, satisfação com a vida, sexo e competência na escola se mantiveram no modelo final, indicando seu potencial em comprometer a saúde mental. A apresentação dos dados pode subsidiar o desenvolvimento de políticas públicas para o atendimento do adolescente, especialmente em termos preventivo e de promoção à saúde na área de saúde mental(AU)

This article aims at investigating the mental health problems of school adolescents and identifying individual, social and family aspects associated with its development. It is based on an epidemical survey with 1923 students of the 7th and 8th grades of Elementary School and 1st and 2nd years of High School of public and private schools of municipality of São Gonçalo, RJ. The scale Self-Reported Questionnaire was used to evaluate Minor Psychiatric Morbidity. Individual, social and family aspects were evaluated. Simple Logistic Regression was utilized and the odds ratio was the measure to interpret the results. Psychological violence, difficult family life events, self-esteem, satisfaction with life, sex and school competence were maintained in the final model, indicating their potential to compromise mental health. The presentation of the data can subsidize the development of public policies for the attendance of the adolescent, especially in the preventive level and in the promotion of health in the mental health area(AU)

Adaptação tanscultural de escala de auto-estima para adolescentes / Cross-cultural adaptation of self-esteem scale for adolescents

O artigo propõe a padronização da escala de auto-estima de Rosenberg (1956/1989) para adolescentes residentes de um bairro urbano do Rio de Janeiro (São Gonçalo), através do estudo de adaptação transcultural (Herdman, Fox-Rushby & Badia, 1998). A amostra foi composta por 266 adolescentes escolares das 7ª/8ª séries do Ensino Fundamental e 1º/2º anos do Ensino Médio da rede pública e particular do referido município. As seguintes equivalências foram avaliadas: conceitual e de itens, semântica (significado referencial e geral), de mensuração (confiabilidade teste-reteste, consistência interna, análise fatorial e validade de construto), operacional e funcional. Foram encontrados bons resultados para equivalência semântica, o alfa de Cronbach foi de 0.68, Kappa predominantemente moderado e regular, e a análise fatorial proposta é de duas estruturas fatoriais (baixa e alta auto-estima). Na validade de construto, a escala correlacionou-se significativa e positivamente com apoio social, e inversamente com vitimização de violência psicológica, violência ocorrida entre pais e entre os irmãos. Os resultados indicam a aplicabilidade da escala na população de referência, sugerindo a necessidade do desenvolvimento de outros trabalhos em amostras distintas.

The article proposes a cross-cultural adaptation (Herdman, Fox-Rushby & Badia, 1998) of "Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale" for adolescents who live in an urban neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro (São Gonçalo). The sample was composed of 266 adolescents, students of the 7th/ 8th grade of Elementary School and of the 1st/2nd grade of High School, of public and private schools of São Gonçalo/RJ. The following equivalences were evaluated: conceptual and itens equivalences, semantic equivalence (referential and general meaning), measurement equivalence (test-retest reliability, internal consistency, factorial analysis and construct validity) and operational and functional equivalences. Good results were obtained for semantics equivalence, alpha of Cronbach was of 0.68, the Kappa was moderate and regular, and the factorial analysis proposed two structures of factors (low and high self-esteem). Construct validity showed significant positive correlation with social support and negative correlation with psychological abuse, violence between parents and brothers. The results indicate the applicability of the scale in a reference population, suggesting the necessity to develop others studies in distinct samples.

Adaptação tanscultural de escala de auto-estima para adolescentes / Cross-cultural adaptation of self-esteem scale for adolescents

O artigo propõe a padronização da escala de auto-estima de Rosenberg (1956/1989) para adolescentes residentes de um bairro urbano do Rio de Janeiro (São Gonçalo), através do estudo de adaptação transcultural (Herdman, Fox-Rushby & Badia, 1998). A amostra foi composta por 266 adolescentes escolares das 7ª/8ª séries do Ensino Fundamental e 1º/2º anos do Ensino Médio da rede pública e particular do referido município. As seguintes equivalências foram avaliadas: conceitual e de itens, semântica (significado referencial e geral), de mensuração (confiabilidade teste-reteste, consistência interna, análise fatorial e validade de construto), operacional e funcional. Foram encontrados bons resultados para equivalência semântica, o alfa de Cronbach foi de 0.68, Kappa predominantemente moderado e regular, e a análise fatorial proposta é de duas estruturas fatoriais (baixa e alta auto-estima). Na validade de construto, a escala correlacionou-se significativa e positivamente com apoio social, e inversamente com vitimização de violência psicológica, violência ocorrida entre pais e entre os irmãos. Os resultados indicam a aplicabilidade da escala na população de referência, sugerindo a necessidade do desenvolvimento de outros trabalhos em amostras distintas.(AU)

The article proposes a cross-cultural adaptation (Herdman, Fox-Rushby & Badia, 1998) of 'Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale' for adolescents who live in an urban neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro (São Gonçalo). The sample was composed of 266 adolescents, students of the 7th/ 8th grade of Elementary School and of the 1st/2nd grade of High School, of public and private schools of São Gonçalo/RJ. The following equivalences were evaluated: conceptual and itens equivalences, semantic equivalence (referential and general meaning), measurement equivalence (test-retest reliability, internal consistency, factorial analysis and construct validity) and operational and functional equivalences. Good results were obtained for semantics equivalence, alpha of Cronbach was of 0.68, the Kappa was moderate and regular, and the factorial analysis proposed two structures of factors (low and high self-esteem). Construct validity showed significant positive correlation with social support and negative correlation with psychological abuse, violence between parents and brothers. The results indicate the applicability of the scale in a reference population, suggesting the necessity to develop others studies in distinct samples.(AU)

Violência escolar e auto-estima de adolescentes / Violence at school and teenager´s self-esteem

Este artigo procura estudar a associação entre auto-estima e violências que ocorrem no ambiente escolar: apresenta resultados obtidos em pesquisa realizada em escolas públicas e particulares de São Gonçalo, estado do Rio de Janeiro. Emprega basicamente metodologia quantitativa (inquérito epidemiológico com uma amostra de 1.686 alunos)com alunos das 7ª e 8ª séries do ensino fundamental e 1º e 2º anos do ensino médio. Os resultados indicam que alunos com baixa auto-estima relacionam-se de forma pior com colegas e professores que os pares de elevada auto-estima, além de se colocarem mais freqüentemente na posição de vítimas de violência na escola e terem mais dificuldade de se sentir bem no espaço escolar. São apontados alguns programas nacionais que têm tentado abordar o problema da violência na escola(AU)

[Scale of psychological violence against adolescents]. / Escala de violência psicológica contra adolescentes.

OBJECTIVE: To present strategies and results of a cross-cultural adaptation of a psychological violence scale to be used in Brazilian studies. METHODS: The scale of violence, a translated version in Portuguese of the original in English, was applied to a sample of 266 7th and 8th grade and junior high school students of public and private schools of the municipality of São Gonçalo, Southeastern Brazil. Several types of equivalences were investigated. The semantic equivalence was evaluated in the referential and general meaning of each item. The measurement equivalence was assessed through psychometric properties such as test and retest reliability, construct validity, internal consistency and factorial analysis. Reliability was measured by Kappa and intraclass correlation coefficients and construct validity was evaluated by Pearson's coefficient. RESULTS: The theoretical-conceptual discussions were deemed adequate concerning conceptual and items equivalences. The semantic equivalence was above 60 percentile in the evaluation of the referential and general item meaning. Cronbach's alpha was 0.94, Kappa index agreement was discreet, intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.82 and the factorial analysis with one factor structure had a degree of explanation of 43.5% variance. Construct validity showed significant negative correlation with self-esteem, social support, and a positive correlation with parent violence. CONCLUSIONS: The study results indicate the applicability of the instrument in the Brazilian teenager population.

Escala de violência psicológica contra adolescentes / Scale of psychological violence against adolescents

OBJETIVO: Apresentar estratégias e resultados da adaptação transcultural de uma escala de violência psicológica, para ser utilizada em amostras brasileiras. MÉTODOS: A escala de violência, originalmente no idioma inglês e traduzida para o português foi aplicada em 266 adolescentes escolares. A amostra incluiu estudantes das sétimas e oitavas séries do ensino fundamental e primeiro e segundo ano do ensino médio das redes pública e privada do município de São Gonçalo, Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Vários tipos de equivalências foram investigados, sendo a semântica avaliada quanto ao significado referencial e geral de cada item; a de mensuração foi apreciada por meio de propriedades psicométricas (confiabilidade teste-reteste, validade de constructo, consistência interna e análise fatorial. Para avaliar a confiabilidade foi utilizada a estatística do Kappa e o coeficiente de correlação intraclasse, e o coeficiente de Pearson para apreciação da validade de constructo. RESULTADOS: Os pontos de discussões teórico-conceituais foram considerados adequados no que se refere às equivalências conceitual e de itens. A equivalência semântica obteve percentual superior a 60 por cento na avaliação do significado referencial e geral dos itens. O alfa de Cronbach encontrado foi de 0,94; a concordância do índice de Kappa foi discreta, coeficiente de correlação intraclasse de 0,82 e a análise fatorial apresentou estrutura de fator com grau de explicação de 43,5 por cento da variância. Quanto à validade de constructo, a escala de violência psicológica apresentou correlação negativa significativa com auto-estima e apoio social, e correlação positiva com a violência cometida pelo pai e pela mãe. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados obtidos indicam a aplicabilidade do instrumento na população adolescente brasileira.

[Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability and validity of the resilience scale]. / Adaptação transcultural, confiabilidade e validade da escala de resiliência.

This study describes the cross-cultural adaptation to Portuguese and the psychometric evaluation of the resilience scale developed by Wagnild & Young. The scale was adapted for a sample of students from public schools in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Data from the pilot study (203 students interviewed at two points in time) and from the entire study (977) are presented. The cross-cultural adaptation showed good results in the semantic equivalence for: general meaning (above 90.0%) and referential meaning (above 85.0%). Chronbach alpha was 0.85 in the pilot study and 0.80 in the total sample. Kappa between the two points in time was regular and moderate, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.746 (p = 0.000). Factorial analysis indicated three non-homogeneous factors. Construct validity demonstrated direct and significant correlation with self-esteem, family supervision, life satisfaction, and social support. There was an inverse correlation with the scale that evaluates psychological violence.

Adaptacão transcultural, confiabilidade e validade da escala de resiliência / Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability and validity of the resilience scale

Busca-se apresentar os resultados da adaptacão transcultural para o português da escala de resilência de Wagnild & Young e da avaliacão psicométrica desta. A escala foi adaptada para uma amostra de escolares dos ensinos fundamental e médio da rede pública de ensino do Município de São Goncalo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. São apresentados dados do estudo-piloto, com 203 alunos entrevistados em dois momentos consecutivos (teste-reteste), bem como do total de alunos investigados na pesquisa (977). Quanto à adaptacão transcultural, foram encontrados bons resultados na equivalência semântica dos itens, tanto para o significado geral,quanto para o referencial. O alfa de Chronbach encontrado foi de 0,85 no pré-teste e 0,80 na amostra total. Na confiabilidade intra-observador, verificou-se que o kappa situou-se entre regular e moderado e o coeficiente de correlacão intraclasse foi de 0,746 (p = 0,000). Análise fatorial indicou três fatores não totalmente homogêneos e diferenciados dos achados pelo autor da escala. Quanto à validade de constructo, nota-se correlacão direta e significativa com auto-estima, supervisão familiar, satisfacão de vida e apoio social. Verificou-se correlacão inversa com a escala que avalia violência psicológica.

[Violence and social representation in teenagers in Brazil]. / Violência e representação social na adolescência no Brasil.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between the self-representation of teenagers and the severe physical, psychological, and sexual violence inflicted on them by close family relations, especially their parents, and to analyze the association between victimization in the family and victimization in other social spaces. METHOD: An epidemiological survey was carried out in 2002 with 1 685 adolescents chosen at random from public and private schools in the municipality of São Gonçalo, which is in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To measure each form of violence, we used scales of tactics for dealing with conflict, of child abuse and trauma, and of psychological violence. RESULTS: We found that 14.6% of the students had been physically abused by the father or the mother and that 11.8% had witnessed sexual abuse of another family member or they themselves had been sexually abused. In addition, 48.0% of the students reported having been psychologically abused by a close relation. In comparison to students who had not been abused, the victims of family abuse were more often also victims of community and school violence, and they also more frequently reported having broken the law. Overall, the adolescents surveyed had a positive self-representation, but the adolescents who had been abused mentioned negative self-attributes more frequently than did the teenagers who had not been abused. CONCLUSIONS: The predominantly positive social representation of teenagers must be supported by health promotion initiatives. The finding of an association between indices of violence and the teenager's various spheres of action indicates that resolving this problem will require strategies that target all these spheres.

Risco e proteção: em busca de um equilíbrio promotor de resiliência / Risk and protection: looking for an equilibrium that provides resilience

O artigo analisa a relação da resiliência com eventos de vida desfavoráveis e fatores de proteção. A amostra do estudo foi de 997 adolescentes escolares da rede pública de ensino de São Gonçalo/RJ. Como medida de resiliência utilizou-se a Escala de Resiliência desenvolvida por Wagnild e Young (1993). Para medir eventos de vida foram utilizadas escalas de violência física (Straus, 1979) e psicológica (Pitzner & Drummond, 1997), itens de violência na escola e na localidade, violência entre irmãos e entre pais, e violência sexual entre outros. Como fatores de proteção utilizou-se: Escala de Apoio Social de Shebourne e Stewart (conforme citado por Chor, Grip, Lopes & Farstein, 2001), Escala de Auto-Estima (Rosemberg, 1989), itens abordando supervisão familiar, relacionamento com amigos e professores. Os eventos de vida negativos não apresentaram relação com a resiliência, enquanto os fatores de proteção mostraram-se todos correlacionados com o constructo. (AU)