Violence and psychosocial risks: narratives of adolescents living in shelters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Violencias e riscos psicossociais: narrativas de adolescentes abrigados em Unidades de Acolhimento do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

This article contains part of the results of the "Youth, Disaffiliation and Violence" extension project developed at the Institute of Psychiatry of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in 2008. It seeks to present experiences of violence experienced in three different contexts, namely in the family home, on the streets and in shelter units (SU), from the standpoint of adolescents. Thirty adolescents in five SUs in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro were interviewed. A qualitative approach was used in order to examine a relatively unknown reality, seeking a contextual understanding from the perspective of the social actors. To achieve this goal, this study sought the contribution of oral reports as the methodology for data collection. The theory of communication was the method of analysis, through the objective/ subjective narratives of experiences of adolescents, establishing categories and points of analysis that permeate these experiences. The results revealed that youths housed in shelters are exposed to various psychosocial risks related to violence experienced in the environments visited. Lastly, the need for setting up an intersectorial network aiming at providing effective and comprehensive care for adolescents was highlighted.