2011 – Determinants Of Disruptive Behavior In Portuguese Adolescents

Abstract

Introduction

Studies of adolescents in the field of school disruption and its determinants are still scarce, which reinforces the need for further investigations. In this assumption, the present study's main objective was to know the effect of context variables sociodemographic, family, school and in the different domains of psychosocial school disruption.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional quantitative study, which was attended by 94 students of Secondary Education Portuguese, mostly women (59.57%) with a mean age of 17:19 years. To measure the variables used the following instruments: Family Apgar Scale, Scale School Climate, Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale and Scale Disruption professed by School Students.

Results

Regarding the effect of context variables on sociodemographic school disruption, we found that age and socioeconomic level do not get statistical significance. Variable sex exerts a significant effect, specifically on the factor 2 - “aggression colleagues” and factor 3 “school authority aggression,” where are the adolescent males to produce higher scores. The data reveal that there are also significant influences of family functionality in all factors of school disruption (p < 0.05). With regard will influence school climate, we infer that, generally, with statistical significance, the better the school climate, school less disruption manifested by adolescents. In the area of influence of self-concept, we found that there are statistically significant correlations on some dimensions of school disruption.

Conclusion

The evidence found in this study invite us to prepare and reflect on new strategies that allow obtaining a better understanding, multidimensional adolescent inserted in middle school.