OBJECTIVE:To describe the sexual behavior and to identify associated factors in adolescents from rural communities in Bahia, Brazil.METHODS:This is a cross-sectional, population-based, and household-based study, carried out in 2015 with adolescents aged 10 to 19 years. We described the variables of sexual intercourse in life and in the last 12 months, age at first intercourse, condom use and number of partners, guidance on pregnancy, AIDS, or other sexually transmitted infections, and guidance on how to get condoms. The analysis was performed for the total sample and for the quilombola and nonquilombola strata. We used Poisson regression, with robust variance, to estimate the prevalence ratios for sexual intercourse in relation to the explanatory variables.RESULTS:A total of 390 adolescents were interviewed, of them 42.8% were quilombolas, 51.3% females, and the median age was 14.8 years. Of these adolescents, 26.4% reported sexual intercourse (28.1% quilombolas and 25.1% non-quilombolas), and the median age of the first relation was 15 years; 77.7% of them mentioned condom use in the last intercourse and more than half received guidance on pregnancy, AIDS, or other sexually transmitted infections and received no guidance on how to get free condoms. Age (PR = 1.42) and alcohol use experimentation (PR = 2.41) were positively associated with sexual intercourse after adjustment. In the quilombola stratum, age (RP = 1.37), having three or more close friends (PR = 1.37), and experimentation with alcohol (PR = 2.60) were associated. In the non-quilombola stratum, age (PR = 1.43), black persons (PR = 2.06), and alcohol use experimentation (PR = 2.68) were associated.CONCLUSIONS:Lack of information and exposure to behaviors such as alcohol use experimentation are conditions that need to be addressed in health promotion strategies and in strategies for the prevention of sexual health problems in rural adolescents. Intersectoral partnerships between education and health also need to be strengthened to promote the autonomous and safe exercise of sexuality in this population.

Resumo O objetivo deste artigo é descrever o consumo e o comportamento alimentar de adolescentes quilombolas e não quilombolas da zona rural do sudoeste baiano. Estudo transversal com 390 adolescentes de 10 a 19 anos em 2015, utilizando questionário adaptado da PeNSE e PNS. O consumo alimentar foi avaliado pela frequência nos últimos 7 dias de alimentos marcadores de alimentação saudável e não saudável. Realizar o desjejum foi marcador de comportamento saudável e, realizar refeição enquanto assistia TV, de não saudável. Foi realizada distribuição de frequências e as diferenças entre os grupos quilombola e não quilombola foram testadas com qui-quadrado. A razão de prevalência (RP) estimou a associação do consumo e comportamento alimentar e as variáveis de interesse. Observou-se baixo consumo de frutas (30,8%), hortaliças (44,3%) e leite (24,4%). Quando comparados, os quilombolas tiveram consumo de feijão maior (RP = 1,11), entretanto, o consumo de hortaliças (RP = 0,73), frutas (RP = 0,67) e leite (RP = 0,68) foi inferior ao dos não quilombolas. Recomendam-se políticas públicas voltadas à assistência nutricional, específicas aos adolescentes rurais, uma vez que os maus hábitos alimentares podem permanecer ao longo da vida e levar a condições precárias de saúde.

The relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) has been extensively debated, with evidence supporting that negative and positive outcomes may coexist simultaneously. However, literature consensus has yet to be reached regarding whether the nature of the relationship between these variables is better explained through a linear or curvilinear relationship. In the present study, we examined the psychometric properties of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory and tested the linear and curvilinear relationship between PTG and PTSD. Participants were 315 adults, with a mean age of 34.66 years (SD = 10.90), and ranged in age between 18 and 68 years; 144 (45.7%) participants were male and 171 (54.3%) were female who had experienced a potentially trauma or adverse event and had a level of education lower than the university education level. The original 5-factor structure of the PTGI was maintained, with satisfactory internal consistency. Exploratory data analysis showed a violation of the normality assumption because the sample reported low levels of PTSD. We used the bootstrap method, which gives an estimate of the sampling distribution (Field, 2018). Results showed a linear positive relationship between PTSD symptoms and PTG, after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. A curvilinear relationship between these variables was not found in the present sample. An overall small positive relationship was found between each PTSD subscale (Intrusion, Avoidance, and Arousal) and the 5 PTGI factors. This study found that PTSD and PTG can coexist. Implications for practice and recommendation for future research are discussed.

Dissociation is a process that often occurs as a sequela of psychological trauma, and it is interrelated with psychological and behavioral problems. In the at-risk adolescent population, dissociation is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Having reliable measures to assess this phenomenon can help in identifying adolescents at-risk and improve treatment outcomes. This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES) with a sample of 402 Portuguese adolescents recruited from three at-risk populations. Participants completed self-report measures of trauma exposure, posttraumatic symptoms, psychological and behavioral problems, and the A-DES. A subset of the sample also completed test-retest measures. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed a best-fitting 3-factor model. Analyses revealed good internal consistencies and good agreement test-retest reliability for the scale overall and the factor-based sub-scales. Construct and predictive validity was supported with results showing that A-DES discriminates between youth reporting high versus low levels of cumulative trauma exposure and youth who meet or do not meet criteria for a probable PTSD diagnosis. Study findings replicate prior research supporting a 3-factor model of dissociation and the usefulness of A-DES to identify adolescents with dissociative symptoms. Clinical and research implications are discussed.