Formação de professores para identificação de fatores de risco associados ao suicídio na adolescência

Abstract

This dissertation is linked to the line of research Formation and action of the teaching professional and educational practices within the scope of the Graduate Program in Education of the Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE). The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies suicide as a serious public health problem. It is estimated that more than 800,000 people die each year from suicide, among them, young people aged 15 to 29 years, representing the second cause of death. In this context, reducing adolescent suicide is a major challenge in many countries. Prevention and reduction strategies for adolescent suicide face impediments. In view of these difficulties, interventions in the school context are recommended to identify and refer adolescents with suicidal behaviors, considering that actions in this scenario can enable continuous access, as young people spend most of their time at school. In this sense, this research aims to analyze the possibilities and limits in carrying out work with educators, aiming to instrumentalize them to identify possible adolescents at risk of committing suicide. Therefore, this dissertation is structured in three studies. The first refers to a theoretical essay that presents and discusses the conceptual foundations of adolescence and suicide. In this study, conceptual aspects about adolescence and suicide are shown in the Bioecological perspective, highlighting the theoretical contributions of Urie Bronfenbrenner on human development. The results indicated that this theory enables a contextualized understanding in relation to adolescent suicide, in view of the study of the interrelationships of personal, interpersonal and sociocultural factors that influence suicidal behavior in adolescence. The second study aimed to verify the knowledge and perspectives of teachers about the process of identifying risk factors for adolescent suicide. For this, a group of 18 high school teachers from a school in the state of São Paulo was formed. Data were obtained through an Attitudes and Knowledge Questionnaire in relation to the identification of risk factors associated with adolescent suicide, to verify what teachers know about suicidal behavior. The results showed gaps in terms of knowledge of suicide in adolescence: epidemiological knowledge, mental disorders and suicidal behaviors, psychoactive substances and suicide risk assessment. Finally, the third study proposes a teacher formation model for the process of identifying, welcoming and forwarding suicidal behavior in adolescence. It is hoped that this research will contribute to the understanding of the impacts of teacher training in the identification of risk factors for suicide in adolescence.