Aggressive behavior and depression in adolescents from a public educational institution in Huancayo

Abstract

The aim was to characterize aggressive behavior and depression in adolescents of the "Mariscal Andrés Avelino Cáceres" Public Educational Institution of Pucará - Huancayo. The type of study was non-experimental, cross- sectional and descriptive. The sample consisted of 181 students who were administered the Anger, Irritability and Aggression Inventory and the SRQ self-report questionnaire, both published and adapted for the Peruvian reality by the National Ministry of Health (MINSA). The results showed that approximately one third of the students presented moderate to low level emotional mechanisms to control irritability, anger and aggression. Likewise, a majority showed signs of mental health problems with situations suggestive of psychotic (61%), convulsive (18.8%) and alcohol-related problems (34.7%). It should be noted that these results are specific and cannot be generalized to the entire population of adolescents in Peru; likewise, the instruments used are primary evaluation tools and do not constitute a definitive diagnosis; therefore, it is recommended that the educational institution implement specialized evaluations and care to make pertinent diagnoses by mental health professionals.