Adolescent males in a rural Mexican context: psychic suffering and care among peers

An exploratory-descriptive study employing qualitative methods was carried out in San Antonio de la Cal, Tolimán, Querétaro, Mexico. The main purpose of the study was to analyze the forms of psychic suffering and care practices among adolescent male peers in a rural context. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted, as well as a workshop with adolescent males selected from a non-probabilistic and voluntary sample. The study showed that the main sources of psychic suffering for participants included their relationships with parents and girlfriends. They presented difficulties in identifying and expressing emotions such as sadness and anger. Care practices among peers were paradoxical, as they simultaneously constituted risk practices. We interpret this in the context of transformations taking place in the dynamics of rurality.