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Portuguese Adolescents: the Importance of Parents and Peer Groups in Positive Health

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Gina Tomé ,
Margarida Gaspar de Matos ,
Inês Camacho ,
Celeste Simões  and
José Alves Diniz
Gina Tomé*
Affiliation:
Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Portugal)
Margarida Gaspar de Matos
Affiliation:
Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Portugal)
Inês Camacho
Affiliation:
Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Portugal)
Celeste Simões
Affiliation:
Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Portugal)
José Alves Diniz
Affiliation:
Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Portugal)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Gina Tomé. Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa. Estrada da Costa Cruz Quebrada, 1499 Lisboa (Portugal). Phone: +35-1214149152. E-mail: ginatome@sapo.pt
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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of peer groups and parents on adolescents' health. It was examined how communication relationships with peer groups and parents affect youngsters life satisfaction, sadness, irritability, being nervous, fear and troubles in falling asleep. The sample was comprised of individuals that participated in the study in continental Portugal, integrating the European study HBSC – Health Behavior in School – aged Children. The study was made during January 2006 and included a total of 4,877 students attending the 6th, 8th and 10th grades from Portuguese public schools, with an average age of 14 years of age. The instrument used was the HBSC questionnaire. The results showed that adolescents' health is influenced by their relationship with their parents and peers. When the communication with both is easy, youngsters are more satisfied with life and have less health negative symptoms. When compared with peers, parents influence positively the adolescents' health..

El propósito de este estudio es examinar la influencia de los grupos de iguales y los padres sobre la salud de los adolescentes. Se analizó cómo las relaciones de comunicación con los grupos de iguales y los padres afectan a la satisfacción vital, tristeza, irritabilidad, nerviosismo, miedo y problemas para conciliar el sueño de los jóvenes. La muestra se compone de individuos que participaron en el estudio realizado en Portugal continental, integrado en el estudio europeo HBSC - conductas de los escolares relacionadas con la salud. El estudio se realizó en enero de 2006 e incluyó un total de 4.877 estudiantes que asistían a los grados sexto, octavo y décimo de las escuelas públicas portuguesas, con una edad media de 14 años. El instrumento utilizado fue el cuestionario HBSC. Los resultados mostraron que la salud de los adolescentes está condicionada por su relación con sus padres y compañeros. Cuando la comunicación con los dos es fácil, los jóvenes están más satisfechos con la vida y tienen menos síntomas negativos en la salud. En comparación con sus iguales, los padres influyen positivamente en la salud de los adolescentes.

Keywords

parents' communicationpeers' communicationadolescentspositive healthcomunicación con padrescomunicación con igualesadolescentessalud positiva
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , November 2012 , pp. 1315 - 1324
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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