Violencia en la relación de noviazgo en estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias Químicas de la Universidad de Cuenca en el año 2023

Abstract

Background: Dating violence emerges as a societal issue, commonly portraying women as victims and men as perpetrators, though exceptions exist. Objective: To determine dating violence among students enrolled in the Faculty of Chemical Sciences at the University of Cuenca in the year 2023. Methodology: Cross-sectional analytical observational study involving a cohort of 324 students. Data collection employed the digital Dating Violence Questionnaire (CUVINO). Descriptive analysis was conducted based on variable type, employing measures of central tendency, dispersion, frequencies and percentages. Analysis was performed using programs including SPSS 27, Epi Info 7.2.5 and Excel 2019. Results: The study included mainly females (60%), mestizo (97%), catholic (71%) urban-dwelling (77%), with a median age of 22. Overall violence prevalence was 90%, predominantly psychological (88%). Among men psychological violence was highest (91%), followed by physical (40%) and instrumental (28%) violence. Women generally experienced more severe violence. Psychological violence varied significantly by age (95% among young adults), while physical violence showed disparities by gender (40% among men); religion (57% among atheists) and ethnicity (100% among indigenous). Conclusions: The prevalence of dating violence was high among students, with males exhibiting a higher prevalence, while the most severe cases were found among females.