Factores contextuales, familiares e individuales asociados con violencia física en niños, niñas y adolescentes en Colombia en el año 2018

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: physical violence has been reported as the most frequent type of violence in children and adolescents in the world, and in Colombia it is one of the most frequent types. It has serious consequences for the physical and mental health of those who suffer it and for communities. Thus, there are strategies to deal with it and more should be generated. METODOLOGY: cross-sectional observational study with an analytical component from a secondary information source: "Survey of violence against children and adolescents - Colombia 2018" that included 1090 records. Descriptive, bivariate and binomial logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify contextual, family and individual factors associated with physical violence against children and adolescents in Colombia. RESULTS: Seven factors were found to be associated with and increase the probability of being a victim of physical violence. Two family factors: violence against women by caregivers and violence against siblings perpetrated by caregivers; and five individual factors: perpetrate physical violence, with the highest association, followed by being male, being "mestizo", being a victim of sexual violence and have symptoms of anxiety. DISCUSSION: all the associated factors found, correspond to those reported in the literature, except for being "mestizo". Knowing these factors allows the prioritization of interventions aimed to the population of children and adolescents who present them, since they may have a higher probability of suffering physical violence, through the development of strategies against this problem due to its high prevalence and because it generates a cycle of violence throughout life.