[Teenager counselling in primary care]

Teenager counseling to recognize risks and reinforce strengths is carried out in a primary care outpatient clinic since 2003.

To describe the epidemiology and causes for consultation in this teenage counseling program.

Retrospective review of the records of 116 teenagers (median age 13 years, 67% females) that received teenager counseling.

Seventy percent of women and 50% of men came from nuclear families. More than two thirds were primogenital. Most adolescents were accompanied by their mother, that were the main adult raw model. Fifty percent had dysfunctional families. All were attending school regularly and 21% of women and 29% of men had repeated a school level. Sixty eight percent of women and 62% of men declared to have a life project. Twenty percent were worried about their physical appearance. Seventy seven percent of women and 62% of men considered themselves as happy. Thirty six percent of women and 14% of men smoked. The figures for alcohol consumption were 21% and 14%, respectively. The causes for consultation were obesity, overweight, unspecific symptoms, behavioral problems, bad school achievement, communication problems or pregnancy. Reasons for counseling were family dysfunction, low self esteem, bad school achievement and information about sexuality.

The information obtained could help to improve the interdisciplinary work and to coordinate counseling with the family and schools.