Prevalência de transtornos mentais e fatores de risco em adolescentes do sexo masculino privados de liberdade

Prevalence of mental disorders and risk factors among male adolescents detained in custody

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of common mental disorders, experiences of violence and stressful events in
adolescents detained in a Custodial Education Institution in Rio de Janeiro. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study.
Tools were deployed in order to obtain information on sociodemographic characteristics, childhood trauma and the
prevalence of common mental disorders such as abuse/dependence on tobacco, alcohol and other drugs; depression,
phobias, dysthymia and post-traumatic stress. Results: Participation of 87 adolescents incarceratedin a Custodial Education
Institution in Rio de Janeiro, in January 2012. Average age: 16.05 years; 98.95% studying in elementary school classes;
83.91% self-declared as not white (mixed-race or black). For the presence of mental disorders, at least one mental disorder
was found in in 70.11% of the respondents. Exposure to stressful situations proved to be very frequent in the sample. Their
main memories of childhood abuse are emotional abuse, with an average of 3.4 (SD=0.34), followed by physical abuse (1.6 SD=0.68), and sexual abuse 1 (SD=0.14). Conclusion: Comparisons with other studies revealed that the high prevalence
of mental disorders in adolescence is not specifi c to youngsters detained in Custodial Education Institutions; however, the
sample showed high levels of exposure to risk factors such as stress and exposure to violence against children, which can
trigger emotional or behavioral problems.