Abstract

SARRIERA, Jorge Castellá; TATIM, Denise C.; COELHO, Roberta P. Schell  and  BUCKER, Joana. The free time usage by teenagers of lower class populations. Psicol. Reflex. Crit. [online]. 2007, vol.20, n.3, pp. 361-367. ISSN 0102-7972.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-79722007000300003.

The article presents the results of a research that analyzes free time usage by lower class teenagers. The analysis on how teenagers manage their free time can supply data for the development of psychoeducative intervention and the promotion of this population's health. There were 159 teenagers who answered the instrument, in which 85 were females and 75 were males. The data collected made it possible to characterize free time usage and to trace comparisons between different age groups and genders. The results show that non-organized activities predominate, such as watching television and being on the streets, as well as the difficulty to access leisure and cultural and sport activities by these teenagers, what may become, according to the literature researched, an indicative of vulnerability with regard to risk situations.

Keywords : Adolescence; free time; leisure; health.