Risk and protective factors for adolescent violent behaviour in Sao Paulo, Brazil - The Sao Paulo Project on the Social Development of Children

Abstract

Although the international literature consistently demonstrates the importance of theoretical models that consider the effect of individual, situational and contextual risk factors for violent behaviour among adolescents , in Brazil there are no studies from this perspective using multilevel analytical models. This project has three main objectives: 1) To estimate the prevalence of violent behaviour and victimization by interpersonal violence among adolescent in the city of São Paulo; 2) investigate the association between individual , situational, relational and contextual characteristics with the adoption of violent behaviour and victimization among adolescents and 3) analyse comparatively the prevalence and factors associated with violent behaviour and victimization in Sao Paulo, Montevideo and Zurich. A cross-sectional study with a representative sample of adolescents attending the 9th. year or the 8th. series of public and private schools in São Paulo will be conducted. Data collection will be done in the classroom through a structured questionnaire given to students for self-fulfillment. The instrument is based on questionnaires used in the longitudinal study Zurich Project on the Social Development of Children and Proyecto Montevideo para el desarrollo social de niños y adolescents. Information about the school context will be collected through face-to-face interview with the school directors, having a semi-structured questionnaire as instrument, and observation, recorded through a semi-structured guide. Descriptive, bivariate, multivariate and multilevel regression analysis will be done.This project was conceived in partnership with professor Manuel Eisner during my stay as visiting fellow at the University of Cambridge with an International Fellowship from FAPESP ((2015/16142-4)). Partial funding was approved by the British Academy - Newton Advanced Fellowship, in partnership with CONFAP, under the coordinator of the principal investigator of this proposal. (AU)