Violence in intimate relationships in adolescents: effectiveness of an intervention by peers through forum theater

Abstract

Objective: The main goal was the peer evaluation of the effectiveness of a health education intervention, also seeking the characterization of violent behaviors experienced by teens in intimate relationships. Method: A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study was performed with a non-probabilistic sample of 197 teens of both genders without control group. The intervention performed consisted of one peer-run forum theater session about intimate violence in dating relationships of teens. Results: Boys reported being both victims and perpetrators of violent behaviors more frequently than girls. The sample reported more behaviors associated with victimization than perpetration. Girls showed a higher level of knowledge on the topic and this knowledge increased after the intervention. Conclusion: Psychological violence is highly prevalent in dating relationships, particularly in cases of victimization. It seems essential to understand and act upon adolescents’ perceptions about what violent behavior is. This study confirmed the effectiveness of health education in acquiring knowledge on this topic.