Self-Destructive Behaviours in Adolescence: Comparison with a Normative Sample Relatively to Psychological Adjustment, Self-Esteem and Stress Perception

Abstract

Adolescence is a developmental stage characterized by profound and diverse changes - individual, familial and social. The corresponding challenge of adapting can determine a chrysies period, in which may take place symptoms of psychological disorder, such as Self-destructive behaviours.

The present study is a part of a wider investigation, in the extent of the work for a doctorate in Psychology about Influent factors in stress and well-being of youngsters presenting Self-destructive behaviours: quality of family relations, attachment and parenting styles.

This preliminary study is a comparative one between a sample of youngsters, ranging from 12 to 21 years old, with a history of self-destructive behaviours, who resorted to the consult of the Suicide Studies Group of the Hospital of Santa Maria, and a normative sample comprising youngsters who have no such history, attending schools of the Lisbon region and the country's Centre region. The goal is to compare the two samples relatively to the psychological adjustment - assessed through the presence of psychopathological symptoms - (YSR; Fonseca & Monteiro, 1999), self-esteem (SES; Faria, L., 2000) and stress perception (PSS; IPSSO, 2000), assessed through self-report questionnaires.

The results reveal the presence of significant differences between the clinical group and the control group, concerning the variables at study.