Unperceived dating violence among Mexican students

María de Lourdes Cortés Ayala ; Carolina Bringas Molleda ; Luis Rodríguez Franco ; Mirta Margarita Flores Galaz ; Tamara Ramiro Sánchez ; Francisco Javier Rodríguez Díaz ^[1]
1. [1] Universidad de Oviedo
  
  Universidad de Oviedo
  
  Oviedo, España
Localización: International journal of clinical and health psychology, ISSN 1697-2600, Vol. 14, Nº. 1, 2014, págs. 39-47
Idioma: inglés
Enlaces
- Texto completo (pdf)

Resumen
- The aim of this ex post facto study was to determine the level of self-perceived abuse and the feelings of fear and entrapment that exist among Mexican students in a dating relationship. We intended to explore possible differences in the prevalence of the various types of violence or victimization between individuals who perceive themselves as being abused and those who do not, combining such perceptions with the feelings of fear and entrapment. The sample was composed of 3,495 Mexican students, of which 1,927 were pre-university students (M= 20.16; SD= 2.13) and 1,568 were university students (M= 15.99; SD= 1.64). We applied a questionnaire on socio-demographic data and the Cuestionario de Violencia entre Novios (CUVINO, Dating Violence Questionnaire). Results showed that 88% of participants did not feel abused by their boyfriend or girlfriend; yet, 15.2% reported having been afraid and 27% reported having felt trapped in the relationship at some point. The data revealed that a considerable majority of youth in the sample had been victims of unperceived abuse. More specifically, they presented evidence of having experienced abuse in their dating relationship even when they described themselves as not being abused.