Effect of Victimization and Perceived Support on Maintenance of Dating Relationships Among College Students in Guadalajara, Mexico

Abstract

This study analyzes the influence of the victimization suffered (sexual, physical, coercion, humiliation, and emotional punishment) and the support network available (as Independent Variables (IIVV)) on the trajectory of young couples (feeling trapped in a relationship, Dependent Variable (DV)). A total of 990 Mexican university students (M = 19.5, SD = 1.82 years) of both sexes (66% women) participated in the study. Family and friends were perceived as providing the greatest support (in over 85% of respondents), while the resources provided by the university (teachers, central resources) were regarded as unhelpful by 40%. A linear regression analysis showed that the feeling of being trapped in the relationship was influenced by all the IIVV (* p < .05), although perceived support proved to be a poor predictor ( beta = -.053). A path analysis reflected a negative effect of coercion (regression weight = -.533) and physical violence (-.926) on perceived support, with all forms of victimization being precursors for feeling trapped in a relationship. These results show the negative effect of victimization on expectations of support in young people, which may make it difficult to begin the process of seeking help. They also highlight the need to increase the visibility of resources available in educational settings to provide an early response to intimate partner violence.

Dating Violence among Undergraduate Medical Students at a Public University in Mexico City: An Exploratory Study

“…A 2007 Mexican national survey on dating violence [ 2 ] among 15–24-year-old participants reported a 39.38% prevalence of emotional abuse, 6.79% of physical abuse, and 8.16% for sexual abuse. Other researchers have explored the associations between DV and female empowerment among Mexican students [ 7 ], access to support networks and experiences of victimization [ 8 ], and personality types (using the Myers–Briggs inventory), [ 9 ] DV, defined as a form of “unperceived” violence among Mexican students [ 10 ], has myriad adverse effects on the well-being of young people and has been associated with risk factors, including family background and peer influence [ 11 , 12 ]. While the impact of DV has been documented [ 11 , 13 ], there is insufficient information on the long-term effects on academic performance [ 14 , 15 ].…”

“…While gender plays an unequivocal role in the risk of experiencing GBV and DV, we wanted to explore if sexual orientation and/or gender in this student population of a country that may have invented machismo is a more significant risk factor for experiencing sexual and physical abuse [ 37 ] and cyber-aggression. As future healthcare providers, we were also interested in documenting how they are being socialized into conforming or non-conforming and homophobic attitudes vis a vis this social epidemic that has reached college campuses in Mexico [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 20 , 38 , 39 , 40 ].…”

Apoyo social y violencia de pareja en estudiantes universitarias

“…Y una vez su novio me dijo: "pues no te metas, son problemas de nosotros". Entonces como que de ahí dije: "bueno, buen punto, o sea, no sé por qué me tengo que meter […] Entonces ahí decides quedarte como fuera, para no estar peleándote con tu amiga, con el novio de 13 Existen diversas teorías que tratan de explicar las causas por las que las jóvenes permanecen en relaciones de pareja violentas, como es el amor romántico (Adams, Williams y Nagoshi, 2015), la falta de identificación de la violencia por parte de la víctima (Páramo y Arrigoni, 2018), la protección del agresor por parte de la víctima (Morales y Rodríguez, 2016), y la falta de recursos que respalden la seguridad de la víctima al abandonar a su pareja (López-Cepero et al, 2018). tu amiga.…”

“…Respecto a la población de estudiantes universitarios(as), las investigaciones se centran en cuantificar el problema de la violencia en la pareja (Esquivel-Santoveña et al, 2020;Lazarevich, Irigoyen-Camacho y Velázquez-Alva, 2017;López-Cepero, Estrada-Pineda y Chan-Gamboa, 2018;Rodríguez, Riosvelasco y Castillo, 2018). Por su parte, los estudios cualitativos indagan las creencias y actitudes de los(as) jóvenes en torno a la violencia de pareja (Rojas-Solís, 2013), así como las experiencias de las jóvenes como víctimas de esta clase de violencia (Vázquez y Castro, 2008).…”