Peer-reviewed article
Predicting adolescent boys’ and young men’s perpetration of youth violence in Colombia
Ilana Seff, Melissa Meinhart, Arturo Harker, Lindsay Stark, Andrés Villaveces ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study analysed data from Colombia's nationally representative 2018 Violence Against Children and Youth Survey to identify risk factors for youth violence perpetration among boys and young men aged 13 to 24 years. About 23% of adolescent boys and young men had perpetrated violence against others. The research found that experiencing physical violence from peers, emotional violence from caregivers, loss or separation from mothers during childhood, and witnessing community violence were all associated with higher rates of violence perpetration. The findings suggest prevention programs should address these risk factors early and across individual, family and community levels.
Key points
- Approximately 23% of adolescent boys and young men in Colombia reported ever perpetrating violence against someone other than an intimate partner
- Physical violence victimization by peers was associated with lifetime violence perpetration
- Emotional violence victimization by caregivers was associated with violence perpetration
- Loss or separation from a mother during childhood was associated with violence perpetration
- Witnessing community violence was associated with violence perpetration
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional analysis using survey data, which can identify associations but cannot establish causation or the direction of effects. The study does not evaluate the effectiveness of any prevention intervention.
Abstract
Youth violence poses a substantive public health burden in Latin America, particularly among adolescent boys and young men. Understanding predictors of youth violence perpetration among boys and young men is critical to more effectively target and tailor prevention programs, especially in Colombia, which has endured decades-long internal armed conflict. This study uses Colombia's nationally representative 2018 Violence Against Children and Youth Survey data to examine risk and protective factors associated with violence perpetration among 13- to 24-year-old male. Amongst adolescent boys and young men in Colombia, the prevalence of ever perpetrating violence against someone other than an intimate partner was approximately 23%. Multivariable logistic regression models revealed that physical violence victimization by peers, emotional violence victimization by caregivers, having lost or been separated from a mother during childhood, and witnessing community violence were all associated with lifetime perpetration of youth violence. Programs targeting reduction of youth violence among boys might consider addressing the previously identified predictors earlier in the life course and at the individual, family and community levels.