VIVËNCIAS AMOROSAS EM ADOLESCENTES: DAS DINÂMICAS ABUSIVAS ÀS CONSEQUËNCIAS NO SEU (DES)AJUSTAMENTO PSICOSS OCIAL.

It is known that violence in dating relationships leads, often, very harmful consequences for the psychosocial adjustment of young people at different levels. This study aims to understand and characterize the abusive intimate experiences of adolescents and to analyse to what extent they contribute to their psychosocial (mal)adjustment. To do this, it was administered the Abusive Dating Experiences Questionnaire (QVAA), built for this purpose. The sample consisted of 196 students, the vast majority (63.3%) were male, whose average age was 16 years (SD = 1.58) and admitted to being involved in current intimate relationships or past ones. The main results indicate a predominance of psychological violence, which does not statistically significant differences in gender, age, grade and subject areas. Teens victims admitted do not seek help and the few (3) did chose to resort to informal help. Girls reported more complaints associated with victimization experience (e.g., sadness, anger, loss of appetite) with potential involvement in their psychosocial adjustment. The results of this study see thus reinforcing the need to increase interventional strategies to cope with violence in dating relationships, as early as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]