title: [Addictive behavior of street children: interculturation and resilience].
abstract: This research belongs to a more comprehensive study on the care of street children in Cameroon. The idea is to develop an analysis of the street pathology where symptoms such as addictive behavior and drug addiction can be found. Beside HIV AIDS, addictive behaviors are the main risk factors that many professionals have to face with while dealing with the street problems today.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Through an intercultural approach, we examined the practices of addictive typology, their initiatory role and their function in the integration of the street system. We also analysed their importance in the survival strategies. After an overview of theoretical controversies that feed the debate on addictions, we questioned the impact of these practices on the street career through the prism of general theory of addictions, particularly the hedonic management model. Addiction helps to resist adversity, it helps to desist and then to begin a harmonious neo development despite the horrors of the street experience.
  
  
  METHODS
  We undertook a quantitative and qualitative study on a sample of 148 street children. We proposed to 128 of them a questionnaire focused on addictive behaviors and survival strategies in the street context. We notably evaluated the street career of 24 of them, using interviews and standardized tests to assess self-esteem (Coopersmith's SEI) frustration tolerance (Rosenweig's P-F) and self-efficacy (Sherer's SE Scale) in order to measure the impact of addictive behaviors on the resilience process.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that the street career is essentially traumatic, and that addictive behaviors involving various integration strategies are strongly linked to the interculturation process through the identity strategies and the intercultural competences. Addiction itself is not significantly related to self-esteem issues but strongly impacts on self-efficacy and the ability to tolerate frustration. They allow the street children to withstand the street adversity but are a real obstacle to their resilience process.
authors.affiliation: Université de Picardie Jules-Verne, UFR de psychologie, chemin du Thil, 80025 Amiens, France.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kommegne
authors.affiliation: Université de Picardie Jules-Verne, UFR de psychologie, chemin du Thil, 80025 Amiens, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Denoux
authors.affiliation: Université de Picardie Jules-Verne, UFR de psychologie, chemin du Thil, 80025 Amiens, France. Electronic address: amal.bernoussi@u-picardie.fr.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernoussi
authors.affiliation: Université de Douala/hôpital Laquintinie, Douala, Cameroun.
authors.forename: E F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Njiengwe
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D002163:Cameroon; D002648:Child; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D005639:Frustration; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D018453:Homeless Youth / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012649:Self Concept; D012933:Social Identification; D012945:Social Values; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Addiction; Enfant en situation de rue; Identity strategies; Interculturation; Resilience; Résilience; Stratégies identitaires; Street children