Abstract
Classification system and differential analysis of adolescents' problems. This study presents a system of classification which allows to analyze the problems expressed by adolescents in four combinable categories (nature of problem, content, participants and context). Cohen's Kappa offers adequate reliability indexes. This system was applied to the problems expressed by 1362 Secondary School adolescents ranging in age from 12 to 16, and the frequency of these problems was analyzed according to gender. The combination of the four categories indicates that 50% of the problems explained by the sample are: a) interpersonal problems with peers, which mainly affect girls; b) school achievement problems, mainly affecting boys; and c) problems of others, principally related to relatives's death and which affect both girls and boys. From the results obtained it is advisable to analyze the relationship between life-events and mental health from a multiaxial perspective.
