Family conflict, stress, and coping as predictors of violence

Introduction. Violence research has prioritized stress as a consequence, even though it would be suggested that it could be considered as a trigger for violent behavior; additionally, there are no models in Colombia from an empirical-analytical perspective that demonstrate which are the psychosocial factors that allow predicting interpersonal violence. Objective. To determine from the structural-equations model (SEM) the extent to which variables such as family conflict, in association with the perception of stress and coping strategies, predict the presence of violent behavior. Method. Cross-sectional descriptive-correlational investigation, with multivariate analysis. Results. The SEM obtained reports that the average of expressions of violence in the family, family conflict, perceived stress, and coping strategies explain the variance of violence by 68%, with optimal adjustment goodness of fit indicators. Discussion and conclusion. The situations of family conflict and the expression of manifestations of violence of any kind in the family scenario, added to stress of people can seem to trigger, if there are no adequate coping resources, the intention to inflict harm on people or things that are immersed in such contexts. However, it is necessary to develop new studies, in order to consolidate the explanatory potential of the formulated model.