Educational Prevention of Antisocial and Delinquent Behavior in Brazilian Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Antisocial and criminal behaviors are frequently associated with illegal behaviors committed by adolescents between 12 and 19. This study aims to examine antisocial and criminal behavior in adolescence and establish guidelines that contribute to educational prevention. Specifically, we sought to evaluate self-reports of antisocial and criminal behaviors in adolescents, verifying differences in the variables sex and age. METHOD: A total of 396 adolescents participated in the study. They were aged 12 to 19 years old (M = 15.8, SD = 1.6), were of both sexes (63.9% girls or women and 36.1% boys or men) and were attending primary and secondary schools in Brazil. The Antisocial-Criminal Behaviors Questionnaire (A-D) was administered online. Descriptive and comparative analyses by sex and age were performed. RESULTS: Boys presented more transgressive behaviors than girls, not overall, but in specific behaviors included in the two scales of the questionnaire used. In terms of age, self-reported antisocial and criminal behaviors increased with student age. CONCLUSIONS: From a systemic perspective, educational proposals are made to identify and neutralize risk factors and improve protective factors for adolescents.

Educational Prevention of Antisocial and Delinquent Behavior inBrazilian Adolescents / Prevención Educativa de los Comportamientos Antisociales y Delictivos en Adolescentes Brasileños

Background: Antisocial and criminal behaviors are frequently associated with illegal behaviors committed by adolescents between 12 and 19. This study aims to examine antisocial and criminal behavior in adolescence and establish guidelines that contribute to educational prevention. Specifically, we sought to evaluate self-reports of antisocial and criminal behaviors in adolescents, verifying differences in the variables sex and age. Method: A total of 396 adolescents participated in the study. They were aged 12 to 19 years old (M = 15.8, SD = 1.6), were of both sexes (63.9% girls or women and 36.1% boys or men) and were attending primary and secondary schools in Brazil. The Antisocial-Criminal Behaviors Questionnaire (A-D) was administered online. Descriptive and comparative analyses by sex and age were performed. Results: Boys presented more transgressive behaviors than girls, not overall, but in specific behaviors included in the two scales of the questionnaire used. In terms of age, self-reported antisocial and criminal behaviors increased with student age. Conclusions: From a systemic perspective, educational proposals are made to identify and neutralize risk factors and improve protective factors for adolescents.(AU)

Antecedentes: Las conductas antisociales y delictivas se asocian frecuentemente a conductas ilegales y son cometidas por adolescentes de 12 a19 años. Este trabajo tiene como objetivos profundizar en este tipo de conductas en la adolescencia y establecer pautas que contribuyan a su prevención educativa. Concretamente, se evalúan los autoinformes de conductas antisociales y delictivas en adolescentes, y se verifican diferencias respecto al sexo y la edad. Método: La muestra estuvo conformada por 396 adolescentes, de 12 a 19 años (M = 15.8, DT = 1.6), de ambos sexos (63.9%% mujeres y 36.1% varones), estudiantes de primaria y secundaria de escuelas brasileñas. El Cuestionario de Conductas Antisociales-Delictivas (A-D) fue administrado en línea. Se realizaron análisis descriptivos y comparativos por sexo y edad. Resultados: En cuanto al sexo, los chicos presentaron comportamientos más transgresores que las chicas, pero no de modo global, sino en conductas específicas incluidas en las dos escalas del cuestionario utilizado. Respecto a la edad, se incrementan las conductas antisociales y delictivas autoinformadas a medida que aumenta la edad de los estudiantes. Conclusiones: Estos hallazgos permiten organizar propuestas educativas consistentes para identificar y neutralizar los factores de riesgo y mejorar los factores protectores para los adolescentes.(AU)