ABSTRACT
Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y transversal de una muestra de 32 estudiantes de sexto grado, escogidos al azar de un total de 100 que cursaban ese nivel de enseñanza en el Seminternado Carlos García Castillo, ubicado en el reparto Versalles de Santiago de Cuba, durante el bimestre enero-febrero del curso académico 2010-2011. A los educandos se les aplicó una encuesta anónima individualizada, previo consentimiento de padres y profesores, así como también 2 tests: uno para determinar la existencia de maltrato infantil (físico, verbal y por descuido) y otro para identificar el funcionamiento familiar. Los resultados revelaron que Cuba no escapa del crecimiento mundial del maltrato infantil y que aunque es un país pequeño y con grandes dificultades económicas, invierte cuantiosos recursos en la atención educacional y médico-sanitaria de la población pediátrica; pero como la violencia intrafamiliar es un asunto social y sanitario de gran prioridad, requiere inmediata atención, mayor conocimiento del fenómeno e intervenciones eficaces para prever su ocurrencia o disminuir sus efectos
A descriptive and cross-sectional study of 32 students of sixth grade, randomly selected from a total of 100 who studied in that level in Carlos García Castillo day boarding school, located in Versalles neighborhood from Santiago de Cuba was carried out during the bimestre January- February of the academic year 2010-2011. An individualized anonymous survey was applied to the students, with the previous consent of parents and professors, as well as 2 tests: one to determine the existence of child abuse (physically, verbally and caused by negligence) and another to identify the family functionability. The results revealed that Cuba does not escape from the world growth of child abuse and that although it is a small country and with great economic difficulties, it invests considerable resources in the educational care as well as in the health of the pediatric population; but as family violence is a social and health matter of great priority, it requires immediate attention, greater knowledge on the phenomenon and effective interventions to foresee its occurrence or to decrease its effects