Home, school, and community violence exposure and emotional and conduct problems among low-income adolescents: the moderating role of age and sex.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess whether violence exposure is associated with emotional/conduct problems, when adjusting for confounders/covariates and controlling for comorbidity, and to investigate interactions between violence exposure and sex and/or age.

Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated a community-based sample of 669 in-school 11-15-year-olds. A three-stage probabilistic sampling plan included a random selection of census units, eligible households, and target child.

[Life-long domestic violence against women: prevalence and immediate impact on health, work, and family].

Objectives: To estimate the lifetime prevalence of domestic violence against women (DVAW) in a low-income urban community and evaluate the immediate impact of DVAW on health, work, and family life.

Methods: The present cross-sectional study was carried out in the city of Embu (state of São Paulo, Brazil) as part of an international multicenter project (World Studies of Abuse in the Family Environment, WorldSAFE). A probabilistic sample of census sector-based clusters including all eligible households identified was used.

[Teenage pregnancy and frequent use of alcohol and drugs in the home environment].

Objective: To assess individual and family factors associated to teenage pregnancy, including frequent use of alcohol and illicit drugs by family members.

Methods: Case-control study conducted with a sample of 408 sexually active female adolescents (aged 13-17 years) in school from the city of Marília (Southeastern Brazil) in 2003-2004. Cases consisted of 100 primigravid teenagers assisted in prenatal care programs in health units.

[Mental health problems among pregnant and non-pregnant youth].

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of mental health problems in primiparous adolescents and to compare their mental health profile with the profile of sexually active adolescents who have never gotten pregnant.

Methods: Cross-sectional study that compared two groups of adolescents aged 13 to 17 years from a city in Southern Brazil, 2003-2004. The sample included 207 primiparous who attended prenatal care programs in urban public services, and 308 sexually active students from state public schools who had never gotten pregnant.