Habilidades sociais, autoeficácia e percepção de apoio social de adolescentes de instituições acolhedoras

Abstract

The literature has identified risk and protective factors in the residential care environment for adolescents. The presence of protection indicators in the residential care is important, as it can enable healthy development, even in the face of adverse circumstances. From the Bioecological Theory of Human Development, the study aimed to: (1) Characterize the repertoire of social skills, the perception of social support (family, peers, teachers and social educators) and the beliefs of self-efficacy of institutionalized adolescents; (2) To analyze the associations between social skills and self-efficacy beliefs of institutionalized adolescents; (3) To analyze the associations between social skills and the perception of social support (family, peers, teachers and social educators) of institutionalized adolescents. Fifty adolescents (mean age 15.40 years), being 36 boys, living in six public and three private residentials care located in the State of Rio de Janeiro, participated in the study. The adolescents answered the following instruments: (1) General Survey Questionnaire for Sheltered Children; (2) Multimedia Inventory of Social Skills-IMHSC-Del-Prette (printed version); (3) Social Support Appraisals Scale; (4) Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale. Regarding the repertoire of social skills, the results showed that most adolescents had a good repertoire of socially skilled reactions of assertiveness and self-control, median levels in most subclasses of passive and active non-skillful reactions. Most teenagers had poor repertoire in socially skilled reaction of empathy and high levels of active unskilled reactions of assertiveness. About the social support, most adolescents noticed social support from family, friends, teacher and social educators. Regarding self-efficacy beliefs, most adolescents had middle level. Positive associations were found between socially skilled reactions (total score, self-control and participation) and the perception of social support from family, peers, teachers and social educators. The total of active unskilled reactions correlates negatively with the perception of social support from family and teachers. Self-efficacy beliefs correlated positively with the teacher's perception of social support. With the research data it was possible to identify resources of adolescents and their contexts that favor their social and emotional development. In addition, the information will contribute to the deconstruction of stigmas and beliefs around the population living in residential care and to the promotion of interventions to promote mental health with these adolescents.