Violencia en el noviazgo en adolescentes del cantón Azogues.

Abstract

Introduction: Gender-based violence is an increasingly prevalent issue in society, manifesting in physical, psychological, or social forms and disproportionately impacting vulnerable individuals. Objective: To determine the prevalence of dating violence among adolescents in Azogues. Methodology: This study is observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional, with a sample of 263 adolescents. Results: The instrument demonstrated construct and discriminant validity, along with a high level of reliability. Of the participants, 61% were female, most identified as mestizo, 76% lived with their family, and 68% reported a middle socioeconomic status. Findings revealed that 33% experienced coercion in their relationships, 27% were subjected to sexual violence, 45% to humiliation, 63% to isolation, and 45% to physical violence. Significant differences were found in the mean scores across the five dimensions of violence, as well as correlations between physical violence and coercion and between coercion and humiliation. Conclusions: The questionnaire proved highly reliable, most participants were female third-year high school students from middle-income nuclear families. A high prevalence of psychological violence was observed, potentially serving as a precursor to physical violence. Correlations were identified between physical violence and coercion, as well as between coercion and humiliation.

Keywords: Violence, dating, adolescent, physical, psychological