Gruendl Magdalena, Del Valle Diana D, Campos Letícia Nunes, Nkurunziza Theoneste, Wurdeman Taylor, Dey Tanujit, Trejo Arturo Cervantes, Klug Stefanie J, Uribe-Leitz Tarsicio
Chair of Epidemiology, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Am Olympiacampus 11, 80809, Munich, Germany.
Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2025 May 9;25(1):1712. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22990-z.
Interpersonal violence (IPV) among children and adolescents represents a significant global public health problem. While Mexico has recorded an increase in IPV, its distribution and management remain understudied. We aim to investigate the epidemiology of IPV cases among children and adolescents in Mexico.
This retrospective registry-based analysis used a nationwide injury dataset (Lesiones) from the Mexican Ministry of Health. We included medical records of IPV victims aged 0 to 17 years who presented at public health facilities in Mexico from 2015 to 2022. We used stratified descriptive statistics to summarize the distribution, management, and outcomes of IPV. Categorical variables were compared between male and female victims, as well as across age categories, using chi-square tests. Additionally, we generated a heatmap to visually represent the average IPV cases per 100,000 children and adolescents across Mexican states.
Among 116,287 IPV victims, 36,385 (31.3%) were male and 79,902 (68.7%) female. The majority were aged 15-17 years (n = 62,616; 53.8%), followed by those aged 10-14 years (n = 34,234; 29.4%), 5-9 years (n = 12,219; 10.5%), and under 5 years (n = 7,218; 6.2%). Most had a secondary education (n = 32,509; 28.0%), and literacy levels were high, with 86,858 (74.7%) reported as literate. Among female victims, 11,207 (14.0%) were pregnant at the time of the IPV incident. Among all victims, physical abuse (n = 39,155; 33.7%) was the most common form of violence, followed by mental abuse (n = 38,759; 33.3%) and sexual abuse (n = 38,373; 33.0%). Among males, 73.5% (n = 26,743) were affected by physical abuse, whereas among females, 44.4% (n = 38,373) experienced sexual abuse. Family violence accounted for 57.1% (n = 66,407) of all medical records. The states with the highest average IPV cases per 100,000 children and adolescents were Guanajuato (83.8) and Chihuahua (80.0). Most aggressors were male (n = 76,909; 66.1%).
This study analyzed IPV cases among children and adolescents in Mexico. Findings highlight the need for multi-faceted, age- and gender-specific interventions. Strengthening laws and policies, with a focus on reporting, enforcement, and mandatory training, is essential to protect children and adolescents from IPV.
儿童和青少年中的人际暴力（IPV）是一个重大的全球公共卫生问题。尽管墨西哥记录到人际暴力有所增加，但其分布和管理情况仍研究不足。我们旨在调查墨西哥儿童和青少年人际暴力案件的流行病学情况。
这项基于回顾性登记的分析使用了墨西哥卫生部的全国性伤害数据集（Lesiones）。我们纳入了2015年至2022年期间在墨西哥公共卫生机构就诊的0至17岁人际暴力受害者的医疗记录。我们使用分层描述性统计来总结人际暴力的分布、管理和结果。使用卡方检验比较男性和女性受害者以及不同年龄组之间的分类变量。此外，我们生成了一个热图，以直观呈现墨西哥各州每10万名儿童和青少年中的平均人际暴力案件数。
在116,287名人际暴力受害者中，男性有36,385人（31.3%），女性有79,902人（68.7%）。大多数受害者年龄在15至17岁之间（n = 62,616；53.8%），其次是10至14岁的人群（n = 34,234；29.4%）、5至9岁的人群（n = 12,219；10.5%）以及5岁以下的人群（n = 7,218；6.2%）。大多数受害者接受过中等教育（n = 32,509；28.0%），识字水平较高，有86,858人（74.7%）报告识字。在女性受害者中，有11,207人（14.0%）在人际暴力事件发生时怀孕。在所有受害者中，身体虐待（n = 39,155；33.7%）是最常见的暴力形式，其次是精神虐待（n = 38,759；33.3%）和性虐待（n = 38,373；33.0%）。在男性中，73.5%（n = 26,743）受到身体虐待，而在女性中，44.4%（n = 38,373）遭受性虐待。家庭暴力占所有医疗记录的57.1%（n = 66,407）。每10万名儿童和青少年中人际暴力案件平均数量最高的州是瓜纳华托州（83.8）和奇瓦瓦州（80.0）。大多数施暴者为男性（n = 76,909；66.1%）。
本研究分析了墨西哥儿童和青少年中的人际暴力案件。研究结果凸显了开展多方面、针对年龄和性别的干预措施的必要性。加强法律和政策，重点关注报告、执法和强制培训，对于保护儿童和青少年免受人际暴力至关重要。
