Modeling Violence Among and Against University Students in a Mexican Medium-Sized City

Violence against university students and among them is analyzed on campus and the household as well as the relationships of violence between these two social spaces. The study was undertaken through an anonymous random survey in the two larger public universities in a Mexican medium-sized city. Overall violence and types of violence—verbal, psychological, sexual, and physical—were evaluated by sex and by universities; and the aggressors were identified. A students’ concept of violence was built, considering causes of intimate-partner violence, violence in general and ethical judgment on gender violence. Finally, it was measured the relationships between violence on campus and in the household using bivariate statistical analysis. Findings indicate the main aggressors on campus are classmates and professors, whereas in the household are the mother, relatives together with the parents and relatives without the parents. On-campus, there were found statistically significant associations between professors-aggressors and students as victims of violence by sex. In the household, the bivariate analysis confirmed mothers as single aggressors and fathers exerting violence together with relatives against student-children; and direct relationships between on-campus (psychological and sexual violence) and domestic (physical and sexual violence).