[Influence of violent TV upon children of a public school in Bogotá, Colombia].
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.
Pérez-Olmos
Isabel
I
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia. iperez@urosario.edu.co
Pinzón
Angela María
AM
González-Reyes
Rodrigo
R
Sánchez-Molano
Juliana
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression; D001154:Art; D002648:Child; D003105:Colombia; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013690:Television; D014754:Violence