By The Star Staff
Due to the ongoing crisis of gender-based violence and the many femicides that have shocked the island, Valerie M. Jorge Vázquez, doctoral student in research in clinical psychology at Albizu University, is urging citizens to participate in her research project, which is titled “How Do We Think and Feel?: Childhood, Couples and Protective Factors Against Violence.”
The study aims to uncover the relationship between the number of adverse childhood experiences as predisposing risk factors for intimate partner violence.
In addition, it seeks to know if social support and emotional intelligence function as protective factors in the relationship between the number of adverse experiences in childhood and the experience of intimate partner violence.
Adverse childhood experiences are potentially traumatic events that people between the ages of 0-17 have experienced and that can have an impact on adulthood.
Some of these adverse childhood experiences are: child abuse, domestic violence, violent death of a loved one, being raised by a person with substance or alcohol use problems, and living below poverty levels.
“These childhood experiences can affect relationships in adult couples and can have an impact on physical and mental health,” Jorge Vázquez said.
Participants’ information will be anonymous, and they will have to complete questionnaires that will take about 30 minutes.
The requirements for participating in the study are the following: be 21 years old or older, know how to read and write in Spanish, be willing to identify your nationality, reside in Puerto Rico, have been or are in a relationship, and have access to the internet. The results of the study will be presented in various forums and will serve as a reference for the government in the search for solutions to gender-based violence.
The research is supervised by Dr. Aysha Concepción Lizardi, Dr. José Martínez González and Dr. Amílcar Matos Moreno, professors at Albizu University. To participate in the study, access the questionnaires through the following link on or before May 24, 2024: