INTRODUCTION

The increasing incidence of violence among young people, particularly in schools, has been considered a major public health problem in developed and developing countries for some time now(3,15). Schools, as environments for social interaction, are a valuable space for interaction and interrelationship and have been identified as the scene of numerous situations of violence. Concerned about this, the school community in Florianópolis joined the extension project Education and School Health, of the Department of Public Health of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), in order to seek solutions for the increasing rate of violence among schoolchildren. The project began to develop, in one of the public schools, health education actions, through the use of drawings and other forms of expression, carried out during the curricular hours of the science course, but in a context of recreational activities. The work described here, related to a module of the project, was developed during the first semester of 2000.

The students at the school come from a predominantly low-income community located on the side of a hill in Florianópolis. This location is inhabited mainly by migrant families from the interior of the state, who were mainly involved in activities related to the agricultural sector in their communities of origin. The vast majority of these families come to the capital in search of employment and better living conditions.

The contacts of extension and teaching-assistance programs at UFSC with this population are mediated by activities centered on the health unit that serves the school’s neighborhood. The education and health actions described here were developed by nursing students and professors from the UFSC Department of Public Health and allowed the detection and monitoring of the development of a group of students from the 1st ^to 4th ^grades , with the purpose of verifying behaviors, attitudes and affective reactions related to situations of violence.

METHODS

The work was developed as participatory research that, according to the model proposed by Demo(2), presents three essential moments: self-diagnosis, practical coping strategies and the need for political organization. Philosophically, it also identifies with the fundamental ideas on participatory action research processes of Argyris and Schön(1). These authors, in addition to drawing attention to the scientific rigor that should characterize participatory research in the study of group characteristics, argue that causal inferences about the social behavior of human beings have a greater chance of validity when the individuals or groups in question participate directly in the formulation and execution of the study proposals. The research subjects were 108 students from 1 ^to 4 years old.^The students were divided into groups according to their grade level in elementary school, with ages ranging from 7 to 10 years old. Group dynamics were used as provocative elements, which, as Fritzen(4) argues, help human beings transcend their individual selves, facilitating relationships with others, and meeting the human characteristic of being subjects in relation to others . The nursing students at UFSC worked in pairs and led the groups every two weeks, meeting once with each group during the semester, during science classes, with variable meeting times (from one to two hours, depending on class availability). Each group had an average of 20 students. These meetings were structured, with the following activities being proposed: first, students were invited to submit compositions and drawings that dealt with positive feelings (drawing/writing about good things) and negative feelings (about bad things). Secondly, they were given the opportunity to discuss what had been represented in the drawings and compositions. The students were divided between coordinating and recording the content of the discussions. To conclude the activity, the children were invited to blow up balloons of two colors, which symbolized, respectively, good and bad things. The balloons that represented the bad things were then popped and the ones that represented the good things could be taken home.

The materials produced in the meetings were later classified and analyzed by the researchers, serving as a stimulus for reflection on the topics discussed and on the feelings expressed by the students in relation to these topics. It was preferred to treat the products of the meetings qualitatively, a decision justified by the preference for obtaining an analysis of meanings rather than counting elements(12). In this case, the qualitative methodology has been indicated as more suitable, since quantification not only characterizes another focus, but also tends to privilege the presentation of results and, therefore, to direct discussions, from the point of view of numbers of occurrences(5). In the discussion, the authors did not give up on privileging the elements that clearly appeared with greater intensity, but turned their attention to an analysis of meanings, and not mainly to a description of frequencies. The drawings and compositions produced were treated from a playful point of view, in which symbolism was used to analyze the expression(7,16). The results of these analyses were discussed with the school’s pedagogical advisor, in subsequent meetings, with the purpose of forwarding them to the school community and constructing preventive suggestions, corroborating the participatory methodology of this type of action research, as pointed out by Walton and Gaffney(17), in the sense of involving the actors at all levels of the process.

RESULTS

A wide variety of symbolisms, affective expressions and knowledge about facts related to violence in the communities where the students lived were observed. Given this wealth and the difficulty in transmitting it in its entirety, we present below the results systematized in a methodological manner, according to the categories of events proposed in the form of activities.

FEELINGS ABOUT GOOD AND BAD THINGS

Initially, a difference was noted regarding gender in dealing with affective feelings regarding good and bad things: most boys showed difficulty in expressing themselves regarding positive feelings (good things) and girls seemed to have an easier time dealing with these feelings. The conception of a bad thing also seemed to be different for the two sexes. For example, it was common for girls to point out as such things such as pulling hair, fighting with a friend, swearing and other events of a similar nature. The boys, on the other hand, were somewhat familiar with different degrees of violence, since their associations, both in compositions and drawings, referred to drug use, injured people, gunshots, and a variety of events that included more intense physical and verbal aggression (e.g., expressions of threat of aggression such as “ I’m going to kill you ”). BAD

THINGS

The boys’ drawings of bad things showed a predominance of themes related to weapons, both firearms and knives. It was noted in the discussions that the boys demonstrated pride in their knowledge of firearms, both in terms of types (e.g., machine gun, shotgun, stiletto, truncheon) and the details of their composition. They knew how to assemble the weapons in their entirety in drawings, specifying their parts (barrels, triggers, handles, hammers, stocks, among others), and knew how to describe these parts, their usefulness, and their use in the community in their speech.

The girls’ bad things, on the other hand, referred more to interpersonal relationships. Both the drawings and the stories showed fights, mainly with friends and with their mothers.

It was found that the students, especially the boys, had a vast knowledge of the various types of psychoactive substances available, their methods of use and the vocabulary used in the subculture of drug users. Drawings and stories related to drug use were common objects of representation. These works by the boys and girls included references to the ways of using the substances (mainly smoking and drinking) as well as phrases to combat drug use (e.g.: don’t use drugs and don’t smoke marijuana ). Some students pointed out, both in the drawings and in the compositions, the relationship between alcoholism in the family and domestic violence.

GOOD THINGS

A significant difference was detected between the good things as perceived by boys and girls, with the latter showing greater ease in drawing or describing them. The good things showed a significant relationship with the practice of sports, especially soccer and volleyball, and with recreational activities, especially playing with friends. It was observed that the girls, for the most part, emphasized interpersonal relationships as important to illustrate their drawings and compositions. The boys, on the other hand, were not as motivated to create materials related to the good things as they were in relation to the bad things. Even when encouraged by the facilitators, they tended to draw little, or show poor thematic and detail, compared to the richness of objects and details they presented in relation to the bad things. As for the compositions, they wrote one or at most two lines, in contrast to a markedly more intense production regarding the bad things.

A common theme in relation to the good things was manifested through the affective meaning represented in the dedication to animals. In this sense, we recorded some drawings that related to living with pets, mainly cats and dogs.

Based on the drawings and compositions, discussions were developed with the students on topics related to violence, both in the school environment and in the family context.

COLORED BALLS

The use of this technique, at the end of the meetings, aimed to provoke a relieving catharsis by popping the balls that represented the bad things and to provide an activity that worked as a mnemonic and at the same time stimulated continuity by taking home the balls representing the good things.

DEVELOPMENTS

Regarding the extracurricular developments, some students took advantage of this discussion space to make requests to the school administration. Among them was the desire for the school to build sports courts and a cafeteria, take better care of the maintenance of the grass on the existing soccer field and repaint the walls. These requests were forwarded by the researchers, in partnership with the school, to the appropriate agencies, in order to meet the wishes of these students.

DISCUSSION

It is noteworthy that boys differed substantially from girls in expressing positive affect, denoted by the category good things. It is a cliché in Western societies that women are more apt to show affection, but this study showed categories of affection that seem to manifest differentiated expressions from childhood. In this sample, in Florianópolis, boys showed a certain degree of difficulty in identifying and expressing positive feelings. Interpreting this tendency as difficulty in dealing with positive feelings would be premature, but it certainly indicates room for further research on the subject.

Given the considerations about the differences in the expression of good things, the finding that no major differences were noted regarding the affection shown towards animals becomes even more interesting. This finding raises a reflection on forms, objects and ways of expressing affection. A pet is often the closest companion, the most harmless and, to a certain extent, the one that imposes the least conditions for the exchange of affection. The animal has a life, but generally does not present the contradictions brought about by relationships with adults or even playmates. Animals do not provide, for example, the double messages that are often sources of frustration and resentment among children (9,14) and frequently serve as the most available companion in a home where parents are absent or where there are problems such as alcoholism and domestic violence. In situations of this type, the pet becomes a safe haven where affections can be shared and frustrations compensated, providing containment and release for pent-up affections, especially if the family does not provide this security and containment. The finding also shows that the differences between boys and girls are not necessarily reflections of an inability to express affection, but that affective potentials can be present, despite markedly different objects and forms of expression, at least at school age.

It became clear from the discussions about the materials produced that the students bring to the school environment experiences they have lived, observed and reported in their family and community environments. The concrete representations of family and community violence mix with and stimulate imaginary representations. Thus, the children revealed, in the discussions, that they were familiar with situations of aggression, in addition to knowing, some in great detail, firearms and bladed weapons. Rollo May(11) already warned us about the relationship between the creative capacity and the process of living and organizing lived experiences, contributing to the understanding of oneself and the natural and social environment in which one lives. He also suggested that the consequences of violence go far beyond the immediate, material and moral damage, extending to the very alteration of the essence of being. The signs observed at this school in Florianópolis assure us that there is a process of change in the ways in which violence manifests itself in urban areas, and point to an urgent need for society to reflect on the totality of community and social experiences. If it is no longer shocking, but a source of pride for a school-age child, detailed knowledge of situations of violence and weapons, the issue of safety for these children and for society as a whole must, at some point, be contextualized not only in relation to its causes, but also in relation to the possibilities of institutional action. It is in this sense that global institutions in the health area, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), have made efforts to raise awareness among governments of the need to promote research and public discussion about violence, especially domestic violence(8).

The activity with the colored balls could not be tested for its effectiveness and efficiency. We started from the principle, known in psychology and widely used in group dynamics, that catharsis is positive and we had the impression that it really worked that way. It is always refreshing to see, at the end of a difficult meeting, the children releasing all their energy, literally unloading the weight of the emotions they experienced. On the other hand, the reinforcement, which we seek to extend after the meeting by taking the good balls with them, has also been exhaustively discussed in psychology texts and dynamics manuals(4). Although we cannot point to evidence that there was any influence of these activities on the children, we understand that, given the reports and the contemporaneity of these practices, there is the potential for a positive influence on their actions, their consciousness and their attitude towards a world that often appears to them as essentially hostile.

Regarding the developments of this research project, we highlight the fact that the students value care, represented by the search for better conditions to practice sports (identified as an anti-violence activity and at the same time as a connection with self-care). We also see a concern with the aesthetics of the environment in the request for painting the walls, which shows the affirmative connection made with beauty, self-esteem and the pleasure of an aesthetically appreciable environment. Perhaps more important is the fact that this care and this search were realized in the children’s desire and did not appear as an institutional imposition. In this way, the research showed its potential for direct action not only on the imaginary, its primary intention, but above all on reflection, the connection of concepts and experiential facts and volition, desire and self-esteem.

The study, opening a discussion between students and faculty, facilitated by the researchers, and which extends to a broader institutional domain, shows an aspect that we consider extremely positive of participatory research. This type of research encourages reflection among those who participate in it and, in its most positive form, allows this reflection to foster dialogue between those who suffer from the events reflected and those who are responsible for mechanisms that can somehow influence lifestyles and ways of thinking, which are the basis for decisions in interpersonal relationships(19). In this way, it provides an experience of an important stage in the process of awareness at the community level, while at the same time fostering an exchange of points of view and information that, in turn, allows for progress in relations between citizens, the community and institutional powers. In this way, research helps to form citizens, giving a voice to those who often spend their entire lives without the possibility of exercising their citizenship rights. It meets another important demand that has been expressed in many needy communities in Brazil, as pointed out by Oliveira(13), which is that researchers can directly provide communities with the concrete and immediate results of their work.

This study, conducted by the School Health and Education extension project of the UFSC Department of Public Health, is part of a comprehensive community perspective, involving university students working in the community in the context of their curricular activities and enabling action focused on the reality and needs of specific groups. The activities of these student researchers at the municipal school are complemented at the local health center, integrating health care measures with issues related to education and work with the families of the students. This experience allows the students to learn about the reality of life of a large population contingent, to perceive the socioeconomic and cultural difficulties that manifest themselves through behaviors and attitudes that are often difficult to interpret, and also to understand the difficulties that public education and health institutions face in dealing with children and families in these communities. The study also serves as an experiment in complementarity between research and extension projects and as a methodological design model, in the sense of using dynamic techniques associated with interpretative formulations of expressionist materials, without limiting itself to traditional psychological readings of the projective type, but allowing reflection to emerge in the context of a dialogue between subject and researcher and subject and participant. It is thus expected to contribute to the development of new projects and to methodological advancement in the field of violence prevention and control (urban, domestic and child violence), based on an important activity center such as the school.

1. Blank Professors of the Department of Public Health, Center of Health Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC).