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Research Article | DOI: https://doi.org/10.31579/2768-0487/125
Institute of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology, Cuba.
*Corresponding Author: Alba Cortes Alfaro, Institute of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology, Cuba.
Citation: Dawn C. Alfaro, Ramon S. Medina, Martha Chang, Torrent Valley JM, et al, (2024), National institute of hygiene, epidemiology and microbiology Adolescent violence exposure survey, Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Research, 7(3); DOI:10.31579/2768-0487/125
Copyright: © 2024, Alba Cortes Alfaro. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Received: 19 January 2024 | Accepted: 05 February 2024 | Published: 12 February 2024
Keywords: exposure to violence; violence and adolescence; adolescence victims of violence; cyberbullying and adolescence; instrument construction and validation
A survey was prepared based on an instrument designed and validated for the study of exposure to violence in adolescents with the objective of exploring the variables of physical, psychological, sexual and neglect/abandonment violence in home, school and community settings., cyber violence is included. The survey will be completed anonymously by adolescents from Basic Secondary Education, Pre-University, Technical and Professional Education and Special Conduct Schools Categories 1 and 2 with prior authorization from parents and/or guardians.
Exposure to violence has been defined broadly, including both direct exposure, in which an individual is a victim of violence, and indirect exposure, in which he or she witnesses such violence (Buka, Stichick, Birdthistle, & Earls, 2001). It has long been considered that exposure to violence, in its various forms, constitutes a powerful factor through which children and adolescents learn aggressive behaviors through the imitation of aggressive models, the direct operant reinforcement of aggressive acts. and vicarious reinforcement through observational learning (Bandura, 1973, 1986). This is supported by the numerous studies that have found a positive association between exposure to violence in different contexts (school, neighborhood, home and Television (TV)) and the development of aggressive behaviors in childhood and adolescence (e.g. Anderson, Berkowitz, Donnerstein et al., 2003; Margolin and Gordis, 2000 [1]
Exposure to violence, in its various forms, constitutes a powerful factor through which boys, girls and adolescents learn aggressive behaviors through the imitation of aggressive models, direct operant reinforcement of aggressive acts and vicarious reinforcement through of observational learning. This is supported by the numerous studies that have found a positive association between exposure to violence in different contexts (school, neighborhood, home and Television (TV)) and the development of aggressive behaviors in childhood and adolescence. (Orue et al.., 2010). [2]
Unfortunately, many television programs contain a high degree of violence. Child and adolescent psychiatrists who have studied the effects of violence on television have found that they can: imitate the violence they observe on TV, identify with certain types, characters, victims and/or perpetrators, become "immune.”, to the horror of violence and gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems.
During the 49th World Health Assembly held in 1996, the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed that violence was a public health priority worldwide; taking into account the dangerous consequences that it has on health and the health system; being considered by this same organization as a pandemic. Every year, more than 1.6 million people around the world lose their lives violently. According to WHO data, violence is one of the main causes of death in the population between 15 and 44 years of age. (2)
In 1989, in a context of change in the world order, leaders from numerous countries met and made a historic commitment in favor of children around the world. They committed to protecting and enforcing their rights, adopting an international legal framework: the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It establishes that childhood is independent of adulthood, which ends at age 18, and that it is a special and protected stage during which children must be helped to grow, learn, play, develop and thrive with dignity. (3)
In September 2015, the Secretary-General of the United Nations presented the Global Strategy for the Health of Women, Children and Adolescents (2016-2030), where he stated that "the survival, health and well-being of these populations are essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals contained in the 2030 Agenda and highlighted the importance of health promotion and prevention to achieve it. (3)
UNICEF, in its study (4) on sexual violence against boys and girls, presents the following data:
Around the world, around 15 million adolescent women aged 15 to 19 have been victims of forced sexual relations at some point in their lives.
. Only 1% of adolescent girls who have been victims of sexual violence say they have tried to get professional help.
In the 28 countries with data, 90% of adolescent women who had experienced forced sexual relations said, on average, that the perpetrator of the first incident had been someone they knew.
Data from six countries reveal that friends, classmates and sexual partners were among the most frequent perpetrators of sexual violence against adolescent boys.
Generally, victims of violence suffer more health problems throughout their lives, incur higher health care costs, and seek hospital services more frequently. The magnitude that this phenomenon has reached in recent years makes it a health priority.
It is considered that a minimal part of the violence that girls, boys and adolescents receive is that which is reported, discussed or officially known.
Sexual abuse at these ages is more frequent than is thought and the majority of the crime is not reported, which is known as a “circle of silence”, in which the father, mother, family and the children themselves participate. affected.
Data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO (5) indicate that worldwide, 1 in 2 girls and boys between 2 and 17 years of age suffer some type of violence every year. According to a global review, it is estimated that 58% of girls and boys in Latin America and 61% in North America suffered physical, sexual or emotional abuse in the last year.
UNESCO according to its analysis states that 32% of students in North America and 30% of students in South America reported having been harassed, in El Salvador they experienced sexual violence before the age of 18, as reported by the young people from 18 to 24 years old. (5)
Study on the characterization of violence in adolescents (6) in which 56 students participated, it was found that 20 twenty students (35.7%), declared having received some form of abuse, distributed in 7 females (35.7%) and 3 males (15%). When using the ratio as a summary measure for qualitative variables, it was obtained that, for every male victim of abuse, there were 6 female victims, which shows that they were subjected to abuse more frequently. Regarding the place where the victims received the abuse, they identified the school 10 times and the home 7 times. It was observed that the adolescents were victims of abuse in more than one place and; Four of the adolescents did not want to respond to this section.
The form of school violence between students is the most recognized. Bullying among students themselves is the most frequent form of violence in schools. Research confirms that future teachers do not have the necessary preparation to prevent violence in the personal, social and professional spheres. Students even acknowledge having been victims of violence and, at the same time, having used it unconsciously on other people, including in the school context.
Results of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) carried out by the Directorate of Medical Records and Health Statistics of the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) found aspects related to violent discipline, child marriage and a victimization module, observing that minors continue to use punishment and violent forms of discipline at home, 41.6% of children between 1 and 14 years old experienced psychological aggression and/or physical punishment from their caregivers. during the last month. (MICS- 2019). (7)
It is also confirmed that there is an increase in the mortality rate due to suicide (maximum expression of violence) in children under 19 years of age for both sexes, in the population between 10 and 19 years old, which constitutes the third cause of death with a Rate of 2.5. x 100 thousand inhabitants for both sexes). (7)
Other research results in Cuba report that there is an increase in the mortality rate due to suicide (maximum expression of violence) in children under 19 years of age for both sexes; in the population between 10 and 19 years old, it constitutes the third cause of death. Rate of 2.5 x 100 thousand inhabitants for both sexes). Cuba's mortality statistics at school ages reflect a significant number of violent deaths from various causes . (8)
The National Health Survey (9) in its study found manifestations of psychological violence in adolescents between 10 and 14 years old when they gave them a name. 9
Bullying as a manifestation of violence between peers is a reality for school-age children and adolescents in different cultural contexts and a serious problem in several countries. The phenomenon contributes to students' experience in episodes of psychological suffering, in addition to compromising the teaching-learning process and influencing the way they respond to social demands throughout the cycles of life. These negative consequences that affect all participants, associated with the increase in its prevalence and occurrence, made it a serious global public health problem.
Bullying at school has acquired growing attention and social alarm in recent years, due to the greater dissemination of events due to the influence of the media (press, radio, television, internet), so that specific events, unacceptable, have become very topical issues. It occurs in children and adolescents during school years and is probably a phenomenon that has always been present in our society. The word bullying derives from the English word bully , which symbolizes a bully, a bully; while as a verb it means to mistreat, intimidate, harass. 10
A study carried out with adolescents from 14 to 17 years old from the Saúl Delgado High School in Havana with a sample of 103 students that aimed to describe the behavior of bullying as well as identify the role of parents and teachers in the face of it. (10) it was found that 18.4% of victims (19), 10.7% of aggressors (11) and 70.9% of bystanders and only one student turned out to be a victimized aggressor. The different forms of harassment are also referred to, in which “nicknames and teasing” predominate with 61.1% and rejection and isolation with 32.0%. Regarding the places of occurrence, the classroom predominated.
In Cuba, little research has been carried out that has addressed this phenomenon. UNESCO states that Cuba is the country with the lowest percentage of children who are physically or verbally attacked. (eleven)
Another phenomenon related to violence on social networks that is gaining strength and shows the less privileged side of uncontrolled Internet use is the so-called Blue Whale, which emerged as a dangerous joke or perhaps as a personal revenge of an unbalanced man, but he quickly became around the world and right now it is raising alarm bells in much of the planet. This game claims to be behind a wave of teenage suicides in more than a dozen countries. Its mechanism is simple but extremely risky. Once the participant enters one of the closed groups promoting the game, they are assigned an administrator or "curator" in charge of guiding them over the next fifty days on the tasks to be carried out and collecting the photos or videos sent as proof of their completion. To publicize the challenge of the day, the "curators" send messages at 4:20 in the morning with different hashtags such as #ballenaazul, #mardewhalenas or #SoyEnelJuego. (12)
In the Violence Prevention Program (13), among its manifestations to prioritize is “Violence against vulnerable groups (children, older adults, people with disabilities).” In Cuba, despite the efforts made to reduce the incidence of violence, this phenomenon is still not visible in the sociodemographic, medical, legal-criminal statistics and, especially, in the perception of the population that has turned it into a problem of health.
still physical and psychological abuse in the family, which, even though it is less frequent and serious, still constitutes a problem, where traditions and family rules hide it, cover it up and justify it to such an extent that we observe it every day and in all areas. It has always existed, but the most serious thing is that we have become so accustomed to it that we see it as something normal, as a natural part of life at home or outside of it.
All of which motivated us to carry out a survey for the first time in the country, validated because it allowed us to identify the various manifestations of violence to which adolescents are exposed (physical, psychological, sexual, economic and due to negligence and/or abandonment violence) in the home, school and community scenarios that also include variables of cyberbullying that have caused so many negative consequences in this vulnerable population exposed to risks.
Technique and procedure
The survey will be applied to be completed anonymously and confidentially with voluntary criteria prior to application. The source of information was the instrument designed and validated for such purposes (Copyright Registration: No. 3010-09-2018). in which the variables of violence are included; physical, psychological or verbal, sexual and due to negligence and abandonment, cyber violence is included in home, school and community settings.
The survey contains 15 questions subdivided into sections that explore the different forms of violence to which they are exposed in the aforementioned scenarios.
It begins with general data: age, sex, skin color and course of study.
Below are questions that address different forms of exposure to violence (victims and observers of violence) in different scenarios.
The survey is presented below.
National Institute of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology
School Health Department
Survey of exposure to violence in adolescents
Student, we ask you to answer the following questions that are related to the topic of violence. We want you to be very honest because you will help us prevent the violent behavior that can occur in the lives of adolescents. You do not need to enter your name; we guarantee that all the information you provide will be secret and will only be used for investigative purposes to develop violence prevention strategies.
We count on your help!
GENERAL DATA. MARK WITH AN X:
1- WHAT IS YOUR SEX? FEMALE MALE _____
2- WHAT IS YOUR AGE? ______ YEARS
3- WHAT IS THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN? WHITE _____ BLACK _____ MULATTO OR MESTIZO ______
4- WHAT EDUCATION DO YOU TAKE?
a) BASIC SECONDARY: 7th. ____ 8th. ____ 9th. ____
b) PRE-UNIVERSITY: 10th. ____ 11no. ____ 12th. ____
c) TECHNOLOGICAL OR POLYTECHNIC: YEAR: ____
d) SPECIAL SCHOOL OF CONDUCT CATEGORY 1: GRADE OR YEAR YOU ARE IN: _____
The following questions are about things that may have happened at your home, at your school, in your neighborhood or that you have seen on television, video games, cell phones and on different social networks.
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