The relationship between attitude toward intimate partner violence and self-confidence among students of a university vocational school of health services

Abstract

Objectives: This study was designed to determine which factors affected the self-confidence and attitude toward intimate partner violence among university students and the correlation between the level of self-confidence and attitude toward intimate partner violence. Methods: A total of 1125 students at the vocational school for health professions of a public university were enrolled in this descriptive study. A personal information form, the Intimate Partner Violence Attitude Scale-Revised (IPVAS) and the Self-Confidence Scale (SCS) were administered to collect data. The methods of analysis used were the independent sample t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis. Results: The mean age of the students 20.73 +/- 1.79 years, the mean IPVAS score was 46.86 +/- 8.52, and the mean SCS score was 126.59 +/- 25.70. There was a significant negative correlation between the scale scores (r=-0.287; p<0.001). Low self-confidence was a predictor of a more accepting attitude toward intimate partner violence. A number of sociodemographic variables were observed to have an impact on the assessment scores. Conclusion: Students with greater self-confidence displayed a more negative attitude toward intimate partner violence, while students who had less self- confidence indicated a more accepting or condoning attitude towards intimate partner violence. Initiatives to educate students about the negative effects of violence in relationships as well as efforts to increase self-confidence can serve as preventive measures and valuable training.