Consecuencias de la violencia familiar experimentada directa e indirectamente en niños: depresión, ansiedad, conducta antisocial y ejecución académica

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of direct and indirect family violence on children's antisocial behavior and on their school difficulties. Participants were 75 institutionalized minors victims of child abuse in the city of Hermosillo, Sonora, and 75 children from the general population. A set of instruments was administered to them for the assessment of aggressive interactions at home, antisocial behavior, psychological disturbances, and school problems. A structural equation modeling was specified and tested, which included 3 factors: family violence, antisocial behavior, and psychological problems. Results of the model indicated that family violence, both the one experienced by children and the one they observed between their parents, had a direct influence on the psychological and behavioral problems, which in turn exerted an influence on school problems.