Human development is a dynamic process marked by advances, stability and setbacks, a
continuum in the evolution of the individual. Adolescence is one of the stages of this vital
cycle, permeated by many changes that transcend chronological and biological aspects
and is related to social, cultural, historical and psychological aspects that can constitute
risk factors for mental health, especially for adolescents who have Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. In this sense, investigating variables that may act as
protective and risk factors can help in the development process and preserve their
emotional health. The general objective of this thesis is to evaluate the levels of stress,
self-perception and expectations for the future of adolescents, with and without ADHD
indicators, high school students from a public school and the impact of these variables on
mental health in adolescence. Four methodologically differentiated yet complementary
studies were carried out. The first study aimed to characterize the instruments used to
assess the construct of self-perception in research with the adolescent public, through a
Systematic Literature Review - RSL. The review pointed to a variety of instruments
aimed at assessing the construct of self-perception, with the Self Perception Profile of
Adolescents (SPPA) being the most frequent in the investigated studies. Of the 29
(twenty-nine) instruments present in this RSL, 14 (fourteen) were validated, however,
none was validated in studies carried out in Brazil. The second study compared the
intelligence profile and attentional patterns of 322 adolescents with and without ADHD
indicators, from a public high school. It was observed that students with and without
characteristics of the disorder showed similarities in the intelligence profile, being
classified with lower than average intelligence, with attention patterns oscillating between
average and deficit. This emphasizes the need for investigations that allow understanding
the factors that act in the cognitive development of adolescents. With the same sample,
the third study compared the association between the behavioral profile (ADHD
indicators) and the levels of stress, self-perception and future expectations of adolescents
from a public high school. The association of variables was pointed out, in a relationship
that the negative self-perception of subjects with ADHD indicators is congruent with the
high levels of stress revealed in this sample. The study also revealed that the social and
academic demands placed on adolescents who do not have the resources to meet them
generate mental suffering that is expressed in high levels of stress and insecurity about
the future. The fourth study examined the mental health of high school adolescents with
and without ADHD indicators and its relationship with behavioral (ADHD indicators)
and sociodemographic variables, based on a mental health index (MSI). The data revealed
an association between low levels of mental health in adolescents and ADHD indicators.
Additionally, it was observed that adolescents with ADHD indicators, who were enrolled
in regular and technical secondary education, had low levels of mental health.
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