SAÚDE MENTAL DE ADOLESCENTES COM E SEM INDICADORES DO TRANSTORNO DO DÉFICIT DE ATENÇÃO/HIPERATIVIDADE

Abstract

Human development is a dynamic process marked by advances, stability and setbacks, a continuum in the evolution of the individual. Adolescence is one of the stages of this vital cycle, permeated by many changes that transcend chronological and biological aspects and is related to social, cultural, historical and psychological aspects that can constitute risk factors for mental health, especially for adolescents who have Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. In this sense, investigating variables that may act as protective and risk factors can help in the development process and preserve their emotional health. The general objective of this thesis is to evaluate the levels of stress, self-perception and expectations for the future of adolescents, with and without ADHD indicators, high school students from a public school and the impact of these variables on mental health in adolescence. Four methodologically differentiated yet complementary studies were carried out. The first study aimed to characterize the instruments used to assess the construct of self-perception in research with the adolescent public, through a Systematic Literature Review - RSL. The review pointed to a variety of instruments aimed at assessing the construct of self-perception, with the Self Perception Profile of Adolescents (SPPA) being the most frequent in the investigated studies. Of the 29 (twenty-nine) instruments present in this RSL, 14 (fourteen) were validated, however, none was validated in studies carried out in Brazil. The second study compared the intelligence profile and attentional patterns of 322 adolescents with and without ADHD indicators, from a public high school. It was observed that students with and without characteristics of the disorder showed similarities in the intelligence profile, being classified with lower than average intelligence, with attention patterns oscillating between average and deficit. This emphasizes the need for investigations that allow understanding the factors that act in the cognitive development of adolescents. With the same sample, the third study compared the association between the behavioral profile (ADHD indicators) and the levels of stress, self-perception and future expectations of adolescents from a public high school. The association of variables was pointed out, in a relationship that the negative self-perception of subjects with ADHD indicators is congruent with the high levels of stress revealed in this sample. The study also revealed that the social and academic demands placed on adolescents who do not have the resources to meet them generate mental suffering that is expressed in high levels of stress and insecurity about the future. The fourth study examined the mental health of high school adolescents with and without ADHD indicators and its relationship with behavioral (ADHD indicators) and sociodemographic variables, based on a mental health index (MSI). The data revealed an association between low levels of mental health in adolescents and ADHD indicators. Additionally, it was observed that adolescents with ADHD indicators, who were enrolled in regular and technical secondary education, had low levels of mental health.