Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access

Abstract

Impact of Alienation on Portuguese Adolescents' Well-being

Gina Tomé, Margarida Gaspar de Matos, Inês Camacho, Celeste Simões and Paulo Gomes

Objective: The present work aims to analyze the influence of alienation in different areas of adolescent health. Methods: The sample used was a group of adolescents that participated in the Portuguese survey of the European study Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC). The Portuguese survey included students from grades 6, 8 and 10 within the public education system, with an average age of 14 years (SD=1.85). The total sample of the HBSC study carried out in 2010 was of 5050. For this study, only adolescents from the 8th and 10th grades were included in the sample, comprising 3494 students. Results: The results show some health risks in adolescents with higher levels of social alienation. There is a positive association between social isolation and risk behaviours to adolescents’ health, such as bullying victims. The feeling of unsatisfaction with life seems to have a lot of influence to feelings of powerlessness, while the biggest association is between normlessness and relationship with family. Be satisfied with life and have a good relationship with family is important assets in adolescent mental health. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of further explore the influence that social alienation may have on the health of adolescents.