SCHOOL VIOLENCE IN THE VIEW OF ADOLESCENTS: POSSIBILITIES FOR ITS CONFRONTATION

Abstract

This exploratory-descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, aimed to investigate and analyze the concepts of school violence and possible actions for confronting it in the view of adolescents. The research was undertaken in state schools with 13 young people aged from 16 to 18 years old, who were attending the second grade of senior high school. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, in August 2010. The analysis was undertaken through the thematic modality, from which emerged two thematic axes: Violence in the school – a “naturalized” attitude in the relationships among adolescentes, evidencing that school violence is related to physical and verbal aggression, and Actions for confronting the violence: possibilities for intervening. The adolescents consider access to study and to knowledge to be ways for confronting the violence, but consider this confrontation to be difficult. This study’s findings reinforce the need for interdisciplinary and intersectorial work to strengthen that which already exists.

Keywords

• Community health nursing
• Adolescent health
• Violence