Perceptions and predictors of dating violence among nursing and midwifery students

Abstract

Aims: To determine the prevalence and predictors of victimization and perpetration of dating violence among nursing and midwifery students Background: Previous studies reported that nurses lack the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and self-confidence necessary to address interpersonal violence due to inadequate instruction and training during their education. The majority of the research done on dating violence has involved western cultures. In countries such as Turkey, where dating with a girl/boy is not accepted by cultural factors and extramarital affairs are ended by honor killings, dating violence continues to be an implicit problem. Design: A cross-sectional study design. Methods: The sample consisted of nursing and midwifery students (n = 603) at the largest state university in southeastern Turkey. Data were collected with a validated, investigator-designed survey instrument from September 2015 to January 2016. Findings: The majority of the participants had been exposed to dating violence. Jealousy, controlling behavior, and restrictions on another’s social life were not perceived as violent behavior in dating relationships. There was no significant relationship of DV violence with gender, smoking, place of residence, or marijuana use. Exposure to parental violence and alcohol use were found to be the strongest predictors of being a perpetrator of violence in the DV perpetration model. Conclusion: The findings highlight the lack of recognition of dating violence among nursing and midwifery students. The perceptions of students should be enriched by adding content on violent behaviors in the curriculum of nursing and midwifery programs.