Services on Demand
Journal
Article
Indicators
Cited by SciELO
Access statistics
Related links
Cited by Google
Similars in SciELO
Similars in Google
Share
Revista de Salud Pública
Print version ISSN 0124-0064
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.