TITLE:
Points of View of Chilean Adolescents about Asking for Help and Suggestions to Prevent Dating Violence Based on an Ecological Systems Theory
AUTHORS:
Tatiana Sanhueza, Geneviève Lessard, Maruzzella Valdivia-Peralta, Cecilia Bustos-Ibarra
KEYWORDS:
Adolescents, Dating Violence, Prevention, Ecological Systems Theory, Chile
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.10 No.1,
January
28,
2022
ABSTRACT: While several programs have been developed to prevent dating violence,
few have been evaluated. Likewise, few studies have documented adolescents’
viewpoints on how prevention should be done. The current qualitative study
seeks to strategically fill a gap in knowledge regarding the points of view of
Chilean adolescents about the strategies that are best suited to prevent this
problem and what is relevant content for prevention programs. This paper is
part of a broader study on adolescents’ social representations of dating
violence. The study’s aim was to explore Chilean adolescents’ points
of view about asking for help and their suggestions about how to prevent dating
violence. The sample included 48 Chilean adolescents, 26 girls (54.1%) and 22
boys (45.8%) between 14 and 18 years old, recruited from public and private
schools, who were interviewed with a focus group method. The study consisted of
two phases; the results of the second phase are discussed in this manuscript.
The results are useful for the development of an appropriate socio-political
response to this social and public health problem. Participants identified
friends and parents as more common sources from whom to seek help than teachers
and health professionals. The severity of dating violence and ensuing injuries
are the main reasons for asking for help. In addition, gender is considered a central
prevention issue in a changing Chilean cultural context. According to the
ecological systems theory, prevention strategies based on the environment of
adolescents at multiple levels (individual, interpersonal, community, and
social) and in multiple components have been recommended.