Dating Violence in University Students: Validation of the DVQ-VP Scale In Bolivia.

Background: Dating violence is an increasingly studied subject as it is related to the initial stages of what could later become intimate partner violence and even intrafamily violence. It is believed that love can cause behavioral patterns that will eventually become habits. The objective: of this study is to have valid and reliable instruments, adapted to different contexts, to accurately and promptly evaluate victims and aggressors and guide an appropriate intervention. Method: we worked with 2216 volunteer university students from Bolivia who had at least one relationship in the past twelve months. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to adapt the Dating Violence Questionnaire for Victimization and Perpetration (DVQ-VP) for the Bolivian context. Results: the appropriate psychometric characteristics were confirmed for evaluating violence in dating relationships using a reduced version of 18 items in a five-factor model for victims and a single-factor scale for the evaluation of aggressors, which were found to be invariant for sex. Conclusions: a significant variability was found among the studies, making them less comparable. The implications and limitations of the study are noted.

Antecedentes: La violencia en el noviazgo es un tema que se estudia cada vez más, ya que se relaciona con las etapas iniciales de lo que más tarde podría convertirse en violencia de pareja e incluso violencia intrafamiliar. Se cree que el amor puede causar patrones de comportamiento que eventual mente se convertirán en hábitos. El objetivo: de este estudio es contar con instrumentos válidos y fiables, adaptados a diferentes contextos, para evaluar con precisión y prontitud a las víctimas y agresores, además de orientar una intervención adecuada. Método: Trabajamos con 2216 estudiantes universitarios voluntarios de Bolivia que tuvieron al menos una relación de pareja en los últimos doce meses. Se realizó análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio para adaptar el DVQ-VP al contexto boliviano. Resultados: Se confirmaron las características psicométricas adecuadas para evaluar la violencia en las relaciones de noviazgo utilizando una versión reducida de 18 ítems en un modelo de cinco factores para las víctimas y una escala de un solo factor para la evaluación de los agresores, que se encontraron invariantes para el sexo. Conclusiones: Se señalan las implicaciones y limitaciones del estudio.

Evaluation of Affective Coexistence in Young Afro-Colombians in the Department of Chocó-Colombia.

Various works of research into violence in relationships between young couples refer to a lack of perception of some behavior patterns such as abuse. This means that the relationship has the potential risk of developing into one of victimization should it last into adulthood. Although it has been shown that this phenomenon may occur in any sector of the population, the interest of our study rests upon determining the prevalence of the perception of violent behavior patterns in relationships between adolescent and young adult couples. We also aim to analyze the differences obtained with respect to the characteristics of the aggressors in the young Afro-Colombian population of Quibdó, Colombia. The participants in the study consisted of 540 young Afro-Colombians of both sexes between 15 and 27 years of age. The instrument used was the reduced version of the Dating Violence Questionnaire. The results show a high level of victimization through violent behavior on the part of the partner, in great measure exercised by generalist aggressors. However, a small proportion could be perceived as abuse. The implications and possible means of intervention are discussed.