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ERIC Number: EJ1453834
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jan
Pages: 31
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0743-5584
EISSN: EISSN-1552-6895
Colombian Adolescents' Perceptions of Violence and Opportunities for Safe Spaces across Community Settings
Eduardo De la Vega-Taboada; Ana Lucia Rodriguez; Alexa Barton; Dionne P. Stephens; Miguel Cano; Asia Eaton; Stacy Frazier; Augusto Rodriguez; Adolfo Cortecero
Journal of Adolescent Research, v40 n1 p161-191 2025
During adolescence, access to safe environments is critical for healthy development. This study analyzed adolescents' perceptions of safety in personal and public spaces in the semi-rural community of Santa Ana, Colombia on the Island of Barú (95.8% of inhabitants live in poverty). We used thematic analysis to explore adolescents' experiences and reflections to identify the factors influencing their perception of safety across different community spaces. Four gender-segregated focus group discussions were held with 40 adolescents (20 male and 20 female) from ages 13 to 17 (M = 14.4, SD = 1.2). Most of them self-identified as Black (86%). The more recurrent spaces in the adolescents' conversations were the streets, the school, the local sports field, individual homes, and commercial sound system parties known as "Picos." Adolescents perceived the school as the safest space, while the "Picos" were the most unsafe. The other spaces were considered mixed, meaning that their perceived safety shifts and depends on the presence of certain factors. These factors were risky behaviors, group affiliation, designated authority roles, and the relevance of time. The authors discuss the importance of addressing the factors that inform adolescents' safety perception, particularly within low resource settings cross-culturally.
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS), Fogarty International Center
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Colombia
Grant or Contract Numbers: D43TW010540