Exposure to violence and its association with symptoms of aggression: A cross sectional study among medical students of Karachi, Pakistan

Objective: To explore the experience of violence and its association with symptoms of aggression among medical students. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from January 5 to 14, 2018, at Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, and comprised medical students who were interviewed using a self-reporting questionnaire that had three sections: demographics, the Aggression Questionnaire, and the Exposure to Violence Scale. Data were analysed using SPSS 20. Results: Of the 192 subjects, 144(75%) were females and 48(25%) were males, with an overall mean age of 21.39+/-2 years. Total exposure to violence was significantly higher among older male respondents (p<0.05). It was significantly associated with higher severity of physical aggression and hostility (p<0.05). However, it had no significant relationship with verbal aggression and anger (p>0.05). Conclusion: A large proportion of medical students reported exposure to violent events, which was also associated with increased aggression among them.