Abstract

Introduction

Adolescence is a phase of biological, psychological and social transition, between childhood and adult life. It is a historical-social construction that is influenced by the social dynamics in the different contexts and cultural trends in which a person develops. These influences, in turn, interfere in the development of personality, and, consequently, the behavior of adolescents, who throughout the socialization process, seek to achieve an adult status that is in accordance with the environment in which they live. Even though some changes are common to most adolescents, socioeconomic determinants expose them to illness and marginalization in particular ways¹1. Arnett JJ. Adolescence and emerging adulthood: a cultural approach. 4a ed. Boston: Pearson; 2013.website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. Helps students understand how culture impacts development in adolescence and emerging adulthood. Grounded in a global cultural perspective (within and outside of the US.

The communities in which they live and develop are important social determinants. From this point of view, in lower-income communities, lack of social resources and social inequality contribute to the emergence of violence, drug trafficking and the weakening of family and community ties, which directly affect the most vulnerable individuals: adolescents. These environments represent unsuccessful public policies and their failure to ensure the rights of those who live in these communities²2. Horta RL, Horta BL, Costa AWN, Prado RR, Oliveira-Campos M, Malta DC. Uso na vida de substâncias ilícitas e fatores associados entre escolares brasileiros, Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE 2012). Rev Bras Epidemiol [Internet]. 2014 [citado 11 Nov 2019]; 17 Supl 1:31-45. Disponível em: https://www.scielosp.org/article/rbepid/2014.v17suppl1/31-45/pt/
https://www.scielosp.org/article/rbepid/... ,³3. Sebastian MS, Hammarström A, Gustafsson PE. Socioeconomic inequalities in functional somatic symptoms by social and material conditions at four life course periods in Sweden: a decomposition analysis. BMJ Open [Internet]. 2015 [citado 11 Nov 2019]; 5(8):e006581. Disponível em: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/8/e006581?cpetoc=&int_source=trendmd&int_medium=trendmd&int_campaign=trendmd
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/8/e006... and assessing associated factors. METHOD: The Brazilian survey PeNSE (National Adolescent School-based Health Survey.Lack of social and family support can also be partially associated with the inability of many adolescents facing the misfortunes of delinquent, antisocial, and even violent practices experienced with peers and in the community environment⁴4. Culyba AJ, Ginsburg KR, Fein JA, Branas CC, Richmond TS, Wiebe DJ. Protective effects of adolescent-adult connection on male youth in urban environments. J Adolesc Health. 2016; 58(2):237-40. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.10.247.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.201... . ln this context, the support of schools, social services and health institutions is essential to avoid social exclusion⁵5. Castel R. Da indigência à exclusão, a desfiliação. Precariedade do trabalho e vulnerabilidade relacional. In: Lancetti A, Editor. Saúde loucura. 4a ed. São Paulo: Hucitec; 1994. p. 21-48.. However, the fragmented outlook on the phenomena that condition social vulnerability contributes to these uncoordinated, one-off, and not rarely, flawed actions. Thus, it is important to become familiar with the perspective of adolescents themselves, since they experience vulnerability in their daily lives and, therefore, are in a better position to talk about the functioning of the context inherent to these vulnerabilities.

This study was based on the bioecological theory of human development (BTHD)⁶6. Vélez-Agosto NM, Soto-Crespo JG, Vega-Molina S, Coll CG. Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory revision: moving culture from the macro into the micro. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2017; 12(5):900-10. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617704397.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617704397... , which uses the process-person-context-time model as its framework. Process is defined as the dynamics of an individual with their biological, cognitive, emotional and behavioral characteristics in a given context. The context is the interconnected system of the ecology of human development and is formed by the microsystem, mesosystem and macrosystem⁶6. Vélez-Agosto NM, Soto-Crespo JG, Vega-Molina S, Coll CG. Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory revision: moving culture from the macro into the micro. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2017; 12(5):900-10. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617704397.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617704397... . The last item, time, is understood as the chronosystem, moderating changes throughout one’s life course.

The BTHD model expands on the understanding of researchers about the economic, institutional, and cultural interactions in different contexts, including socially vulnerable communities. These are marked by a fragile economy, weakened social integration mechanisms and family ties, permeated by work relationships.

The following research question guided the present study: What are the main social phenomena experienced by adolescents assisted at a reference social assistance center? The objective was to understand the social phenomena experienced by adolescents who were assisted at a reference social assistance center in the metropolitan region of Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil, from the perspective of the bioecology of human development.

Method

Typology

This was a qualitative study based on the grounded theory (GT), a constructivist approach. Grounded theory brings researchers closer to the phenomenon with the goal of extracting the perceptions and meanings given by subjects to a context or object⁷7. Charmaz K. A construção da teoria fundamentada: guia prático para análise qualitativa. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2009.. Constructivist GT provides guidelines about how to organize, analyze, and understand research data within the scope of its geographic, ideological, and cultural context, according to a theory that explains the studied phenomenon, what it means to the participants, and how they deal with this phenomenon⁸8. Thornberg R. Informed grounded theory. ‎Scand J Educ Res. 2012; 3(56):243-59. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2011.581686.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2011.58... .

Location

The study was conducted in a reference social assistance center in the urban periphery of the metropolitan region of Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. At the time of data collection, the unit was open to the surrounding community, which was in precarious social and infrastructural conditions.

Reference social assistance centers (CRAS) are municipal units and are considered the entryway into the Brazilian Unified Social Service System (SUAS), which aims to assist socially vulnerable individuals. Thus, their services are allocated in territories with high rates of vulnerability and aim to coordinate and provide basic social protection programs and projects⁹9. Brasil. Presidência da República. Lei nº 12.435, de 6 de Julho de 2011. Institui Sistema Único de Assistência Social. Diário Oficial da União. 6 Jul 2011..

Sampling and data collection

The participants were selected after a meeting with parents or legal guardians, CRAS professionals and the research team. The adolescents who were assisted at the CRAS were invited to participate in focus groups, scheduled between August and December 2015. The setting selected for the meetings fit between 15 and 20 people.

Inclusion criteria were adolescents 13 years old or older, enrolled in and attending school, and who were assisted by the basic protection services of the municipality’s social service system. Adolescents under the age of 13 were excluded.

Because of the way the service functioned, new participants were included at different times of the study, as they were registered with the CRAS. Thus the group was open to new members and there was no minimum frequency attending the meetings required in order to ensure the maximum use of data¹⁰10. Cruz Neto O, Moreira MR, Sucena LFM. Grupos focais e pesquisa social qualitativa: o debate orientado como técnica de investigação. In: Anais do 13o Encontro da Associação Brasileira de Estudos Populacionais – ABEP; 2002; Ouro Preto. Ouro Preto: ABEP; 2002.. The meetings lasted an average of two hours, with groups of six to ten participants. In all, twenty adolescents 13 to 18 years old participated, of which 15 were male and five, female.

The meetings were mediated by the following guiding question: “What is your perception of being an adolescent in this community?” An author of this article, who did not have any previous relationship with the participants, conducted the focus groups with the help of two research assistants. The data were registered using a digital voice recorder and then fully transcribed after each meeting. These transcriptions were complemented by the notes of the assistants who were trained to record all of the group’s movements, including what they said. The sample of twenty participants was obtained over ten meetings, considering theoretical data saturation⁷7. Charmaz K. A construção da teoria fundamentada: guia prático para análise qualitativa. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2009., i.e., when no new information emerged, coinciding with the predicted period for carrying out the study.

Participants were identified by the letter “A” followed by the number of the order in which they entered the group, thus ensuring anonymity.

Data analysis

Data analysis looked for patterns of similarities and differences among the data according to the comparative method proposed by GT. This method is a dynamic process of data collection and comparative analyses among codes, codes and concepts, and concepts and categories, whether from the same interview or different interviews.

During coding, the data fragments are categorized concisely so as to represent the information. In GT, coding involves two phases: open coding, in which categories are formed, and axial coding, in which codes are organized and there is continuous comparison among the data. In axial coding, the codes can be created and/or objectified in broad categories, as presented in Table 1.

Axial analysis grouped codes by conceptual divergences and similarities and led to the definition of the categories’ concepts and properties. The analysis included memos and diagrams representing the categories. Last, theoretical coding integrated the categories and concepts, in addition to translating the phenomenon observed in the data. The analysis yielded three theoretical categories, which will be presented below⁷7. Charmaz K. A construção da teoria fundamentada: guia prático para análise qualitativa. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2009..

Ethical aspects

This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), under protocol no. 432.008, in accordance with Resolution 466/2012 of the National Health Council. Parents or legal guardians were invited to a meeting in which the objectives, risks and benefits of the present study were presented. After the meeting, the parents were given free and informed consent forms to sign. Similarly, the parents or legal guardians of the adolescents who entered the group later were instructed about the study and also received the consent forms to sign.

Results and discussion

The findings provide an understanding of the main social phenomena that adolescents experienced, revealing a complex system of factors and phenomena. These are interconnected, surpassing social vulnerability and coming together to form the central phenomenon, “surviving”, as shown in Figure 1.

The following three important phenomena were identified: “Experiencing violence in the sociocommunity and family context”; “Living with the paradox of drugs: pleasure, overcoming, and oppression”; and “Seeking to overcome”, which sustained the phenomenon “Surviving: adolescent subject floating between social oppression and overcoming life”.

The data point to the presence of a dynamic in community and family contexts composed of factors that limit adolescents’ social development, represented by the central phenomenon “Surviving”. Adolescents float between oppression and overcoming, a process that results in either the breaking of bonds or social cohesion. In this dynamic, often the same factor (school, family, and gangs) can take on a meaning related both to oppression and overcoming.

The phenomena described above will be detailed and sustained in the concepts and categories that emerged in the representations of adolescents of their community setting and family life and their intervening and contextual factors.

Experiencing violence in the sociocommunity context

The violence experienced by adolescents was represented by demonstrations of homophobia, racism, sexism, sexual harassment, and physical violence. It was present in their families, schools, in the community, and in incipient public security policies. Furthermore, adolescents used violence as a relational mechanism.

The participants viewed this phenomenon in the forms of physical and psychological violence. The latter was associated with drug use or drug trafficking of marijuana, the presence of marijuana symbols and associated objects, music, and images on clothing. Violence inherent to the drug represented a causal and intervening complex, present in their main social environments, family and school, in addition to the community in general. In the community, the adolescents suffered police actions motivated by suspicion in involvement in drug use or trafficking, which was aimed primarily at the boys:

Violence in family relationships was associated with the presence of drug trafficking and drug use. In one instance, the main person involved was the brother of one of the participants:

Furthermore, there was physical and verbal aggression, negligence, sexual harassment, and discrimination in the school environment, which was defined as a space of conflict and also a place for drug use initiation:

Forms of violence through racism and homophobia were observed among the adolescents:

The participants reported having daily experiences with violence. Furthermore, they had naturalized and accepted certain forms of violence, such as homophobia, and thus they were sometimes perpetrators of violence, and at others, victims.

Living with the paradox of drugs: pleasure, overcoming, and oppression

The second phenomenon deals with the experience of drugs for adolescents in situations of social vulnerability. It unfolds into the meanings of use for pleasure, relief, drugs as a means to social success, and the causal condition of oppression.

The meanings of use for pleasure and relief were attributed to feelings of sadness, depression, and peer pressure:

Another meaning identified in this phenomenon was the concept of drugs as a means of social success, translated in the opportunity of earning money through trafficking, associated to the understanding of trafficking as a job, or as a form to complement income, as seen in the following excerpts:

The phenomenon of drugs as a causal condition of oppression was the main one, reported by the participants in all social and family settings. The meanings of use and trafficking were identified as causal mechanisms: use that leads to addiction. At other times, they were intervening mechanisms: violence inherent to drugs, or contextual mechanisms, violence that originates from symbols of the drug. Oppression was presented in different forms of violence (physical psychological, prejudice, perpetrated especially by public authorities, such as police officers):

The complexity of the drug phenomenon, was, therefore, translated in the meanings attributed by the adolescents as a “means to success” and “causal condition of oppression”, in this case, associated primarily with police brutality.

Seeking to overcome

The search for overcoming daily adversities was represented in the categories “facing reality” and “surviving”:

Mechanisms for overcoming were associated with family, especially mothers, work, and sports, which represent supportive ties that help them resist community pressures that worsen their relationships with drug use and/or trafficking and with violence.

Family was described as a source of protection, with expressions of positive affection and bonds, especially with the mother figure.

Work, school, and sports were described as ideal mechanisms for social insertion, behavioral change, recovery, and leisure in the community:

Thus, the mechanisms for overcoming mentioned by the participants show the frailty of the social apparatus for community development.

Discussion

The findings provide an understanding of the main social phenomena experienced by the adolescents and that place them in situations of social vulnerability. The participants exposed a social context marked by limited access to basic social services, violence disseminated among the community, and the consistent insertion of the drug phenomena, as shown by the use and/or experience of drug trafficking. These results are similar to those of two other studies, one conducted in Brazil and the other in the United States¹¹11. Maas GN. Crianças e adolescentes: o processo de inclusão social no Brasil. Rev Eletrônica Mestr Direito [Internet]. 2014 [citado 11 Nov 2019]; 5(2):143-65. Disponível em: http://www.seer.ufal.br/index.php/rmdufal/article/view/1537/1178
http://www.seer.ufal.br/index.php/rmdufa... ,¹²12. Swendsen J, Burstein M, Case B, Conway KP, Dierker L. Use and abuse of alcohol and illicit drugs in US adolescents. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2012; 69(4):390-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.1503.
https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatr... . In these investigations, the participants were youth offenders from socially vulnerable backgrounds and low education levels. Most were black or brown, residing in communities marked by the absence of the state and who found support in drug use and/or trafficking.

In the community context, the streets were presented as a place for leisure and susceptibility to violence, which was conceived as inherent to the relationships among members. Violence was experienced in assaults and murders, which were sometimes committed by other adolescents and at other time, in police interventions. Police brutality emerged as a producer of meanings that placed police figures as agents of oppression and fear.

In itself, the experience of stressful and marginalized environments, such as in the community investigated in the present investigation, is understood as a violation of basic human rights. This situation victimizes individuals, while hindering their access to mechanisms of social insertion and cohesion¹³13. Schilling F. A sociedade da Insegurança e a violência na escola. 2a ed. São Paulo: Summus Editorial; 2014.

14. Macedo AC, Felipe HP. O perigo de ser jovem e negro no Brasil: um olhar sobre a adolescência numa perspectiva racial. Norus. 2016; 4(5):86-101. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15210/norus.v4i5.8280.
http://dx.doi.org/10.15210/norus.v4i5.82... -¹⁵15. Nardi FL, Filho NH, Dell’Aglio DD. Predictors of antisocial behavior in adolescents. Psicol Teor Pesqui. 2016; 32(1):63-70. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0102-37722016011651063070.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0102-37722016... . In these environments, violence has direct victims, while often indirectly affecting children and adolescents, resulting in increased psychological suffering¹³13. Schilling F. A sociedade da Insegurança e a violência na escola. 2a ed. São Paulo: Summus Editorial; 2014.. This leads to severe repercussions when it comes to solidifying these victims’ values, who may become future agents of violence¹¹11. Maas GN. Crianças e adolescentes: o processo de inclusão social no Brasil. Rev Eletrônica Mestr Direito [Internet]. 2014 [citado 11 Nov 2019]; 5(2):143-65. Disponível em: http://www.seer.ufal.br/index.php/rmdufal/article/view/1537/1178
http://www.seer.ufal.br/index.php/rmdufa... .

The violence experienced by the adolescents in this study was related to different forms of aggression, one being racism. Naturalized racial segregation in Brazilian society contributes to segregating black or brown people into poverty, limiting their access to social development. This is materialized in the premature and violent mortality rates of adolescents, whose main setting is the streets¹¹11. Maas GN. Crianças e adolescentes: o processo de inclusão social no Brasil. Rev Eletrônica Mestr Direito [Internet]. 2014 [citado 11 Nov 2019]; 5(2):143-65. Disponível em: http://www.seer.ufal.br/index.php/rmdufal/article/view/1537/1178
http://www.seer.ufal.br/index.php/rmdufa... ,¹⁴14. Macedo AC, Felipe HP. O perigo de ser jovem e negro no Brasil: um olhar sobre a adolescência numa perspectiva racial. Norus. 2016; 4(5):86-101. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15210/norus.v4i5.8280.
http://dx.doi.org/10.15210/norus.v4i5.82... .

In a weakened community setting, access to sports and leisure is scarce, and therefore, the streets become a place of social constructions. However, the streets also make individuals susceptible, directly or indirectly, to the violence practiced by other adolescents, by recruiting adults, or by even the police in some circumstances. This violence affects mainly black and brown male adolescents¹⁶16. Trindade RFC, Costa FAMM, Silva PPAC, Caminiti GB, Santos CB. Map of homicides by firearms: profile of the victims and the assaults. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2015; 49(5):748-55. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0080-623420150000500006.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0080-6234201...

17. Karam ML. Violência, militarização e “guerra às drogas.” In: Kucinski B, Editor. Bala perdida: a violência policial no Brasil e os desafios para sua superação. São Paulo: Boitempo; 2015. p. 33-8.

18. Waiselfisz JJ. Mapa da violência 2015: adolescentes de 16 e 17 anos do Brasil [Internet]. Brasília: Flacso Brasil; 2015 [citado 15 Dez 2018]. Disponível em: https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/mapa2015_adolescentes.php
https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/mapa2... -¹⁹19. Waiselfsz JJ. Mapa da violência 2016: homicídios por armas de fogo [Internet]. Brasília: Flacso Brasil; 2016 [citado 15 Dez 2018]. Disponível em: http://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/pdf2016/Mapa2016_armas_web.pdf
http://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/pdf201... .

In 2013, the rate of homicide of black and brown adolescents between the age of 16 and 17 in Brazil was 173% higher than that of white males of the same age. In terms of gender, some studies show a concentration of homicide victims among the population of male adolescents and young adults¹⁶16. Trindade RFC, Costa FAMM, Silva PPAC, Caminiti GB, Santos CB. Map of homicides by firearms: profile of the victims and the assaults. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2015; 49(5):748-55. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0080-623420150000500006.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0080-6234201... ,¹⁸18. Waiselfisz JJ. Mapa da violência 2015: adolescentes de 16 e 17 anos do Brasil [Internet]. Brasília: Flacso Brasil; 2015 [citado 15 Dez 2018]. Disponível em: https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/mapa2015_adolescentes.php
https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/mapa2... ,²⁰20. Souza TO, Ramos ERS, Pinto LW. Evolução da mortalidade por homicídio no Estado da Bahia, Brasil, no período de 1996 a 2010. Cienc Saude Colet. 2014; 19(6):1889-900. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232014196.04772013.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232014...

21. Waiselfisz JJ. Mapa da violência 2011: os jovens do Brasil [Internet]. São Paulo: Instituto Sangari; 2011 [citado 12 Abr 2019]. Disponível em: https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/pdf2011/MapaViolencia2011.pdf
https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/pdf20...

22. Waiselfisz JJ. Mapa da violência 2012: crianças e adolescentes do Brasil [Internet]. Rio de Janeiro: Flacso Brasil; 2012 [citado 12 Abr 2019]. Disponível em: https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/pdf2012/MapaViolencia2012_Criancas_e_Adolescentes.pdf
https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/pdf20... -²³23. Waiselfisz JJ. Juventude viva: homicídios e juventude no Brasil. Mapa da violência [Internet]. Brasília; 2013 [citado 12 Abr 2019]. Disponível em: https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/pdf2013/mapa2013_homicidios_juventude.pdf
https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/pdf20... . These data corroborate those of the present study, whose research subjects were, for the most part, male, and previously recognized by the SUAS as potentially vulnerable. These different studies report selective violence and the importance of public policies that are not only specific for this public, but also effective and fair¹⁸18. Waiselfisz JJ. Mapa da violência 2015: adolescentes de 16 e 17 anos do Brasil [Internet]. Brasília: Flacso Brasil; 2015 [citado 15 Dez 2018]. Disponível em: https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/mapa2015_adolescentes.php
https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/mapa2... ,²³23. Waiselfisz JJ. Juventude viva: homicídios e juventude no Brasil. Mapa da violência [Internet]. Brasília; 2013 [citado 12 Abr 2019]. Disponível em: https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/pdf2013/mapa2013_homicidios_juventude.pdf
https://www.mapadaviolencia.org.br/pdf20... .

The participants expressed antagonistic behaviors: at times they were victims of different forms of violence; at others, they were perpetrators, an aspect perceived in their expressions of homophobia. Homophobia is a social, historical, community, family, and religious construction, which, sustained by misogynistic and sexist ideals, strengthens heteronormative ideas that impose relationships of power and knowledge about the sexes²⁴24. Longaray DA, Ribeiro PRC, Silva FF. “Eu não suporto isso: mulher com mulher e homem com homem”: analisando as narrativas de adolescentes sobre homofobia. Currículo Front [Internet]. 2011 [citado 26 Dez 2019]; 11(1):252-80. Disponível em: http://www.curriculosemfronteiras.org/vol11iss1articles/longaray-ribeiro-silva.pdf
http://www.curriculosemfronteiras.org/vo... . One study that investigated the homophobic conceptions of adolescents found moderate tolerance to homosexuality²⁵25. Rondini CA, Teixeira Filho FS, Toledo LG. Concepções homofóbicas de estudantes do ensino médio. Psicol USP. 2017; 28(1):57-71. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0103-656420140011.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0103-65642014... obtidos pelo uso de uma escala Likert, foram analisados por uma técnica estatística multivariada. Análise fatorial foi realizada, e seis fatores (extraídos pelo método das componentes principais e o método de rotação oblíqua.

The violence suffered in schools was represented by physical and verbal aggression, sexual harassment, and the negligence of teachers and educational managers. However, violence present in the school environment is a reflection of the violence external to these institutions and the interpersonal relationships in this environment. Thus, violent events that occur in these settings are interconnected to a complex multidimensional phenomenon that violates human rights, affects all social structures, and contributes to damaging the psychosocial constitution of adolescents¹³13. Schilling F. A sociedade da Insegurança e a violência na escola. 2a ed. São Paulo: Summus Editorial; 2014.,²⁶26. Vieira RA, Brasil KCT, Legnani VN. Violência ‘na’ e ‘da’ escola: concepções de professores e alunos adolescentes. Linhas Críticas [Internet]. 2015 [citado 13 Abr 2019]; (46):708-26. Disponível em: https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=193543849008
https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=1... ,²⁷27. Charlot B. Prefácio de cotidiano das escolas: entre violências. In: Abramovay M, editor. Cotidiano das escolas: entre violências. Brasília: UNESCO, Observatório de Violência, Ministério da Educação; 2005. p. 17-25..

Equally, intrafamilial violence is associated with the influences of political-social and cultural factors that generate inequalities, characteristic of vulnerable societies, and interfere in the level and quality of the relational insertion of families, and, consequently, adolescents. Thus, when individuals do not find the necessary support to overcome daily limitations, they are more fragile before phenomena such as violence and drug use²⁸28. Pedrosa SM. O uso nocivo do crack: percepções de pessoas em tratamento da dependência [tese]. Goiânia (Go): Universidade Federal de Goiás; 2016.

29. Lerner RM. Contribuições da carreira de um cientista do desenvolvimento humano pleno. In: Bronfenbrenner U, editor. Bioecologia do desenvolvimento humano: tornando seres humanos mais humanos. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2015. p. 19-36.-³⁰30. Castel R. As metamorfoses da questão social: uma crônica do salário. 9a ed. Petrópolis: Ed. Vozes; 2010..

Drug use among adolescents does not occur occasionally and/or randomly; rather, it is associated with social-environmental factors distributed over the spaces and dimensions of life. This phenomenon is related to violence, the use of illegal substances by parents, low performance at school, weak ties with schools, a community’s tolerance to drug consumption, low level of information about drugs, the need to express power, and low self-esteem³¹31. Sheppard P, Garcia JR, Sear R. A not-so-grim tale: how childhood family structure influences reproductive and risk-taking outcomes in a historical U.S. population. PLoS One. 2014; 9(3):e89539. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0089539.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.008... ,³²32. Van Ryzin MJ, Fosco GM, Dishion TJ. Family and peer predictors of substance use from early adolescence to early adulthood: an 11-year prospective analysis. Addict Behav. 2012; 37(12):1314-24. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.06.020.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.06... especially in industrialised societies. One hypothesis which could explain such findings is that parental investment is likely to be diluted in families without both natural parents. Most empirical studies have examined the influence of only one type of family disruption or composition (e.g. father absence.

In vulnerable populations, such as the one in the present study, weak social cohesion introduces these subjects to delinquent practices, such as drug trafficking, violence, and stealing, aspects that will have repercussions into their adult life³³33. Baker AM, Moschis GP, Benmoyal-Bouzaglo S, Pizzutti C. How family resources affect materialism and compulsive buying: a cross-country life course perspective. Cross Cult Res. 2013; 47(4):335-62. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1069397112473074.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1069397112473074... .

In the present study, marijuana was identified as the most consumed illegal substance, as shown by the male adolescents. In Brazil, it is also the main illegal substance consumed, especially among adolescents, sustained by the constant presence in communities and the often antagonistic meanings that attributed to “drugs”, symbolizing things such as resistance to repression, social condition, and an escape from the reality of violence, exclusion, and suffering²2. Horta RL, Horta BL, Costa AWN, Prado RR, Oliveira-Campos M, Malta DC. Uso na vida de substâncias ilícitas e fatores associados entre escolares brasileiros, Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE 2012). Rev Bras Epidemiol [Internet]. 2014 [citado 11 Nov 2019]; 17 Supl 1:31-45. Disponível em: https://www.scielosp.org/article/rbepid/2014.v17suppl1/31-45/pt/
https://www.scielosp.org/article/rbepid/... .

The complexity of the phenomena of drugs and violence, in this study, was displayed in the strong relationship between both. Drug use and trafficking represented an escape from reality and violence, but the simple presence of these substances or the symbology associated with marijuana also contributed to violent and oppressive events, data that differ from those of another study³⁴34. Veríssimo M. As rodas culturais e a “legalização” da maconha no Rio de Janeiro. Ponto Urbe [Internet]. 2015 [citado 04 Mar 2019]; (16). Disponível em: https://journals.openedition.org/pontourbe/2682
https://journals.openedition.org/pontour... . The contradictory meanings given to the use of marijuana can be explained by the resignification that the phenomenon has undergone in the moral and normative representations of society, a fact that, as occurred in the investigated community, generates or forges demarcations between groups and places, determined by stereotypes, such as that of the black periphery population³⁵35. Santos MFS, Acioli Neto ML, Galindo FS, Souza LB. A ambivalência no campo das drogas: uma análise das representações de álcool e maconha [Internet]. Rev Adm Educ. 2015 [citado 14 Mar 2019]; 1(2):125-45. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufpe.br/revistas/ADED/article/view/2488/2016
https://periodicos.ufpe.br/revistas/ADED... .

Adherence to marijuana use is also determined by factors inherent to the social and family contexts, and is evidence of the predictive potential of an individual’s involvement with their peers and family ties³⁶36. Vermeulen-Smit E, Verdurmen JEE, Engels RCME, Vollebergh WAM. The role of general parenting and cannabis-specific parenting practices in adolescent cannabis and other illicit drug use. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2015; 147:222-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.11.014
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.201... ,³⁷37. Hayre RS, Goulter N, Moretti MM. Maltreatment, attachment, and substance use in adolescence: direct and indirect pathways. Addict Behav. 2019; 90:196-203. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.10.049.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.10... and 2. The use of psychoactive substances, to a lesser or greater extent, enhances social vulnerability of adolescents, affects health, social development, and healthy development. Furthermore, it contributes to student failure, ruptures with jobs and family, while also weakening individuals against violence and crime²⁸28. Pedrosa SM. O uso nocivo do crack: percepções de pessoas em tratamento da dependência [tese]. Goiânia (Go): Universidade Federal de Goiás; 2016..

Similar to initiation to drug use, the insertion of adolescents into the criminal practice of drug trafficking is a multifactorial phenomenon. As a parallel mechanism, it is a form to overcome social limitations, as well as a way to fulfill their need for affirmation and recognition in the community³⁸38. Gomes SPM. A influência dos pares no comportamento delinquente dos jovens: dados do ISRD-3 [dissertação]. Braga (PT): Universidade do Minho; 2016.. In states with inequality, lack of equality of access to goods and possibilities and the concurrent lack of guaranteed rights foster parallel pathways that ensure survival both in informal employment, illegal commerce, drug trafficking, and antisocial practices, such as theft. When such social symptoms last for long periods, they contribute to social anomie and symptoms of anxiety and fear in populations, which precede deviant behaviors¹¹11. Maas GN. Crianças e adolescentes: o processo de inclusão social no Brasil. Rev Eletrônica Mestr Direito [Internet]. 2014 [citado 11 Nov 2019]; 5(2):143-65. Disponível em: http://www.seer.ufal.br/index.php/rmdufal/article/view/1537/1178
http://www.seer.ufal.br/index.php/rmdufa... ,¹⁵15. Nardi FL, Filho NH, Dell’Aglio DD. Predictors of antisocial behavior in adolescents. Psicol Teor Pesqui. 2016; 32(1):63-70. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0102-37722016011651063070.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0102-37722016... .

The symptom of anomie was observed in the group of adolescents when they expressed uncertainty and insecurities using the words “survive” and “facing reality”, even though both also denote motivation to overcome adversity. The mechanisms used for overcoming were family, with special mention to mothers, and, after a thorough reading of the data, drug trafficking. Being involved with the trafficking of psychoactive substances was not limited to the need for income, but was sustained by the longing for social identity³⁹39. Bronfenbrenner U. Bioecologia do desenvolvimento humano: tornando os seres humanos mais humanos. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2015., self-esteem, and a having a role to play, even if distant from ethics and morals⁴⁰40. Machado MM, Kuhn CM. A inserção de crianças e jovens no tráfico de drogas: reflexões a partir da psicologia social e a importância da mídia comunitária como instrumento de garantias [Internet]. In: Anais do 3o Congresso Internacional de Direito e Contemporaneidade; 2015; Santa Maria, Brasil. Santa Maria: Mídias e Direitos da Soc em Rede; 2015 [citado 05 Abr 2019]. p. 1-16. Disponível em: http://coral.ufsm.br/congressodireito/anais/2015/2-3.pdf
http://coral.ufsm.br/congressodireito/an... .

Work occupied a large part of the participants’ lives, who demonstrated the centrality of work activities when they defined it as a mechanism for survival, social identity, and necessary for family conformity. Considering these aspects, another study showed that adolescents recognized work as a means for recovering values and social insertion⁴¹41. Dutra-Thomé L, Koller SH. O significado do trabalho na visão de jovens brasileiros: uma análise de palavras análogas e opostas ao termo “trabalho.” Rev Psicol Organ Trab [Internet]. 2014 [citado 17 Abr 2019]; 14(4):367-81. Disponível em: http://pepsic.bvsalud.org/pdf/rpot/v14n4/v14n4a04.pdf
http://pepsic.bvsalud.org/pdf/rpot/v14n4... . However, for adolescents in situations of vulnerability, whose access to labor market is limited and who also have difficulties reconciling work with school, dropping out of school is an easy choice, weakening their social development.

For the adolescents in this study, school occupied a paradoxical position: they recognized that academic education was essential to being able to grow in the labor market; however, they also mentioned severe limitations in accessing a university education, which culminates in student dropout and hinders social ascension and the achievement of life goals. Limited access to education and the quality of educational relationships fostered anomie and anxiety, which for some, justified violence and social ascension through drug trafficking.

As observed in the data, anomie reflects government failure to ensure the rights of children and adolescents as established in the Brazilian Statute of the Child and Adolescent – ECA⁴²42. Brasil. Presidência da República. Lei nº 8.069, de 13 de Julho de 1990. Dispõe sobre o Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente e dá outras providências. Diário Oficial da União. 13 Jun 1990.. The failure of childhood and youth policies deepens inequalities and exclusion, because there are no effective established means to guarantee fundamental rights. In these contexts, it is possible to observe deviations from social norms and people who are inept at social relationships. These symptoms, increase the frailty of the most excluded communities¹¹11. Maas GN. Crianças e adolescentes: o processo de inclusão social no Brasil. Rev Eletrônica Mestr Direito [Internet]. 2014 [citado 11 Nov 2019]; 5(2):143-65. Disponível em: http://www.seer.ufal.br/index.php/rmdufal/article/view/1537/1178
http://www.seer.ufal.br/index.php/rmdufa... ,¹³13. Schilling F. A sociedade da Insegurança e a violência na escola. 2a ed. São Paulo: Summus Editorial; 2014..

Considering the phenomena of overcoming and positive ties, family represented another aspect that supports the development of children and adolescents. This was exemplified by the figure of the mother, whose role is to develop her children’s social skills. Social skills are behaviors that collaborate towards competent social performance in interpersonal tasks, with a high perspective of positive effects for the individual, group, and community⁴³43. Prette ZAP, Prette A. Competência social e habilidades sociais: manual teórico-prático. Petrópolis: Vozes; 2018., which will impact in how individuals cope with the adversities that may emerge throughout their development³⁹39. Bronfenbrenner U. Bioecologia do desenvolvimento humano: tornando os seres humanos mais humanos. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2015..

Like family, sports was another positive tie for adolescents, a moment of leisure, fun, and social interaction. Sporting activities join functionality with everyday life and help in the development of positive bonds, social and affective skills, autonomy, decision-making, creativity, and independence, which favor insertion in education and work⁴⁴44. Raschka PEM, Costa GCT. A relação entre o desenvolvimento de adolescentes relacionado ao esporte coletivo. Rev Bras Futsal Futebol [Internet]. 2011 [citado 16 Abr 2019]; 3:319-27. Disponível em: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/fa98/7b96d817c365eed97fa17188a13955294059.pdf
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/fa98/7b... . Thus, these activities should be encouraged as essential tools for overcoming vulnerability and fostering social cohesion.

In the present study, the same environment or phenomenon often played ambiguous roles. Even though school was understood as necessary, it was described as a place of oppression by the participants. Moreover, family, the main factor that supports their will to overcome, was associated with the presence of drugs and violence, which equally weakened ties and exposed adolescents to social exclusion⁴⁵45. Suguyama P, Marcon SS, Lazari AH, Okamoto ARC, Oliveira MLF, Hungaro AA. Famílias em território vulnerável e motivos para o não uso de drogas. Rev Eletronica Enferm. 2017; 19:1-10. doi: https://doi.org/10.5216/ree.v19.38380
https://doi.org/10.5216/ree.v19.38380... . The weakening of these contexts, together with ineffective policies to ensure rights, compromises the balance of social development, as adolescents cannot find the necessary stability to overcome this situation, entering the zone of social vulnerability⁵5. Castel R. Da indigência à exclusão, a desfiliação. Precariedade do trabalho e vulnerabilidade relacional. In: Lancetti A, Editor. Saúde loucura. 4a ed. São Paulo: Hucitec; 1994. p. 21-48..

Conclusions

The results of the present study provide an understanding of the social vulnerability of adolescents assisted at a CRAS unit, according to their own experiences. The results also showed some of the factors that compose a multifactorial complex that conditions these adolescents to vulnerability. This complex should be considered and valued in order for social protection public policies to advance.

Thus, understanding the phenomena presented in this study can help underpin new strategies to ensure adolescents the right to healthy development, with special attention to the areas of social security, such as health, education, social services and public security. When working with adolescents, especially in vulnerable communities, it is necessary to adopt multiprofessional approaches, with a broad, protective, and intersectoral perspective.

A limitation of the present study is the fact that the data may have suffered interference because of the adolescents’ previous participation in studies in the CRAS environment. Some had already been assisted at the unit and received orientation from social counselors. However, the results are consistent and translate a complex and multifaceted context of social vulnerability in the studied group, which certainly corresponds to that of other groups, even considering the specificities of their geographic and social characteristics.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the State of Goiás Research Foundation - FAPEG.

References

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