PROMOTING MENTAL HEALTH IN ADOLESCENCES WITH PEER-BASED EDUCATION: AN ACTION-RESEARCH

Abstract

Introduction: Adolescence is a process of changes in development and social relationships, of experimentation and exploration, when people experience independence in a more fluid way, in which they seek to build their own identity It is necessary to advance in the understanding of the vulnerabilities to which adolescents are exposed, in a logic of comprehensive health care for this population - through actions that listen, are sensitized to their needs and allow their development based on social support networks. In this context, mental health has emerged as a contemporary concern. Actions to promote mental health are fundamental in adolescence, and they need to be co-constructed in a critical, participatory and meaningful way with the adolescents themselves. Objective: To build an intervention to promote adolescent mental health based on peer education. Methodology: Participatory Health Action Research, with a qualitative approach, using the Pedagogy of Culture Circles, adapted to the health education model. Data collection will be mediated by photovoice, focus groups and field diaries with adolescents aged 14 to 19 from a public primary and secondary school. The data will be analyzed using reflective thematic analysis. Expected results: It is understood that this study can bring contributions that will guide the systematization of nursing and health care in similar contexts, listening to the actors directly involved, and with a proposal for participatory and critical construction, at low cost. The results could be validated for the promotion of new health care technologies for adolescents, or transformed into recommendations and suggestions for further research on the subject.