Atentados violentos nas escolas: percepção dos adolescentes

Violence attacks in schools: adolescents’ perception

Abstract

Objective: To understand public school adolescents' perceptions of violent attacks on schools. Method: This is a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory study conducted at a municipal public school in November 2023 with twelve adolescents aged 12 to 18, using the semi-structured interview technique and Bardin's content analysis. The research was approved by the Research Ethics Council and data collection occurred only after the parentes, guardians and the adolescents signed the Informed Consent Form. Results: Adolescents experience various forms of violence at school (physical, verbal, and bullying), with bullying being the most frequent. Many of the students interviewed have witnessed or even experienced some act of violence. Regarding lasts national attacks on schools, they considered them wrong and crimes and associated bullying as the main cause. These events, along with the threats of further attacks, triggered feelings of fear, sadness, distress, insecurity, and apprehension about going to school among adolescents. Some even stopped going, and their parents and family members also felt fear and concern. Finally, adolescents highlighted the creation of spaces for dialogue between students, schools, and families, and increased school security, as prevention strategies. Final considerations: Adolescents perceive school attacks as criminal acts and expressed a variety of feelings provoked by these events. Ultimately, these events are complex, multifactorial, and affect not only the direct victims but society as a whole, physically and psychologically.