Introduction:

In Cuba, is of great importance to care for children and teens; however, there are minors who commit acts that the law classifies as crimes. The role of the family in the prevention of the deviant behaviors is essential, but in many occasions the socio-psychological characteristics of the families doesn't favor adequate behaviors.

Objective:

To analyze the socio-psychological characteristics of the families of the adolescents with behavioral disorders of the School of Integral Formation "José Martí"; through the study of the categories structure, functioning and family subjectivity.

Methods:

The method of study of multiple cases is used, in wich it was used narrative interview, family composition board, family coat of arms, family operating test with parents; while with teens, in individual form, it was used family drawing and the composition My family is…

Results:

The families studied were sociodemographically characterized by a predominance of the black race and male sex, adults, and a low level of schooling, high rate of employment linkage, with bad and regular material conditions, with large families predominating. On the other hand, roles tended to be rigid, relationships were generally conflicting among family members. In terms of family functioning, dysfunctional families prevailed, affecting the cohesion, harmony and communication indicators. From the family subjectivity of the studied families, there was evidence of a broad knowledge of spiritual values that didn´t manifest in everyday practice. Life projects were scarce and had no materialization.

Conclusion:

The manifestation of family socio-psychological characteristics indicated that these were families in a situation of social vulnerability, like a risk factor for adolescents with behavioral disorders.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )