Fatores de risco e proteção na adolescência e suas relações com a autoeficácia: um estudo com alunos e gestores de escolas públicas

Abstract

The interest in the health aspects of development and schooling has been increasing in Brazil and worldwide, resulting in important researches initiatives targeting the young audience. The understanding of personal and social resources in the youth is relevant as far as it indicates adjustment/confrontation conditions to the challenges from this stage of life. This thesis aims to identify protective factors and risks in the perspective of school youngsters and school managers of public schools located in Juiz de Fora/MG. It also goals to investigate the possible links between self-efficacy and protective/risk factors. Thus, four chapters have been developed. The first chapter describes the theoretical ground that underlies the discussions here presented besides introducing the Positive Psychology Approach and the Positive Youth Development. Other key concepts are also found in it. They are: 1) protective and risk mechanisms; 2) self-efficacy in proactive contexts; 3) positive education and the strengthening of juvenile self-efficacy and 4) some studies on risk/protective factors on Brazilian youngsters. The second one presents a review on the literature that discuss the possible relations between self-efficacy and developmental resources based on articles available in a data base. It was possible to say that such relations are not the topic of a wide range of studies and that the main emphasized resources are academic, professional and physical skills, social support, the respect to the rules, the connection to people/institutions and positive values/responsibility. The third chapter presents the analysis of interviews that investigate the youngsters perception regarding protective/risk factors, he relationship between self-efficacy and these factors and how they might predict the sense of self-efficacy among 526 high school students in the age group of 14 to 23. Positive relations between self-efficacy and connection to school, family, community, future perspective, negatives with suicidal ideation, failure and stressing events are in the results. Some of these factors were predictors of self-efficacy. The records indicate the presence of risks (lack of the ability to solve problems, fight against drugs, the building of an appropriate disciplinary sense) and protective factors (emotional/instrumental support, healthy school environment, positive relationships at school, positive juvenile image, encouragement of new projects). The fourth chapter approaches the investigation of protective/risk factors among youngsters in the perspective of their manager. Such investigation revealed that these professionals have had training to prevent risks (violence/drugs) and to promote positive juvenile qualities (learning development/academic performance) but they had not conduct programs involving the students. Analyzing the results, it was possible to observe the presence of risk factors (alcohol and drug use, violence and lack of family background), protective factors (social support at school, emotional support from family and friends, positive relationships at school) and the support of school management to the teachers’ projects aiming to improve interpersonal and professional skills in the youngsters. Lastly, there are some closing comments indicating the implications of the results of these studies to the professional practice of psychologists, teachers, school managers and public policies.