Abstract

PEREZ-OLMOS, Isabel; PINZON, Ángela María; GONZALEZ-REYES, Rodrigo  and  SANCHEZ-MOLANO, Juliana. Influence of violent TV upon children of a public school in Bogotá, Colombia. Rev. salud pública [online]. 2005, vol.7, n.1, pp.70-88. ISSN 0124-0064.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact that a violent and a non-violent movie may cause on scholars. METHODS: In Bogotá, 125 public primary school students were surveyed, applying a questionnaire to learn both about their daily life violence and their attitude towards it. Two weeks later, they were shown one violent movie, and two weeks later a non-violent one. Children were asked to draw their families, express their opinions and answer a questionnaire after each movie. RESULTS: The initial survey showed that 23,6 % of the children reported violent responses when they were offended, 39,8 % reported some kind of familiar violence and 19,5 % identified themselves with a violent figure. Boys were more prone to respond violently when offended and to identify themselves with a violent figure than girls (p=0,004). Compared with the non-violent movie, a greater percentage of children excluded themselves from the family drawing after watching the violent movie (Odds Ratio (OR): 2.55; 95 % Interval Confidence (95 % CI) 1.22-5.43, p=0,01). The family drawing after the violent movie also showed more emotional signs (OR: 3.13; 95 % CI: 1.35-7.52; p=0,0053) and more aggressive signs (OR: 2.55; 95 % CI: 1.22-5.43; p=0,01) than the family drawing after the non-violent movie. CONCLUSIONS: The family drawing test showed the immediate impact of television. Television violence negatively influences kids and should be avoided.

Keywords : Television; child; violence; psychological tests; Colombia.

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