Family and Teaching Communication Practices Associated with Gender-Based Violence in Public Schools in Cartagena, Colombia

Abstract

This study estimated the association between family–teacher communication practices and gender-based violence among secondary students, as well as the prevalence of school violence with a gender perspective in public schools in Cartagena. An analytical cross-sectional study with quota sampling was conducted in ten public schools; validated instruments were used to measure school violence, family communication and teacher communication, and ordinal associations were estimated through correlation coefficients and mean comparisons, with effect sizes and confidence intervals computed using standard errors adjusted for school clustering. Results show that open family communication is associated with lower levels of symbolic/psychological, physical and sexual violence, whereas closed or ambiguous communication patterns are related to higher exposure to aggression; similarly, teacher practices grounded in dialogue and negotiation are linked to a lower risk of victimization compared with more authoritarian styles, and aggression is mainly channeled through in-person interactions with bystanders and, in digital settings, through social networks such as Facebook and messaging services. The study concludes that modifiable communication components at home and in the classroom are key entry points for designing educational and school-coexistence strategies aimed at preventing gender-based and school violence, which in turn supports the development of systematic pedagogical interventions and, in future research, multilevel or ordinal analyses that deepen understanding of these relationships.