US college women’s understandings of definitions of intimate partner violence

Abstract

Objective: Past research suggests students have differing definitions of sexual assault, violence and intimate partner violence (IPV). To adequately develop violence prevention efforts, it is important to examine how college students understand these terms and associated behaviours. The purpose of this study was to identify which behaviours are categorised as IPV by college women and whether there are any ‘grey areas’ when it comes to IPV. Design: A three-phase e-Delphi study was conducted with US college women to reach consensus on the behaviours commonly associated with IPV. Setting: The study was conducted in one large, Southeastern USA university. Method: In a first phase of work, participants answered open-ended questions about the behaviours they associated with IPV and related terms. In phase 2, participants categorised the behaviours identified in phase 1. In phase 3, consensus was reached by the 12 women who completed all three phases of work. Results: Women agreed on a list of 45 behaviours that constitute IPV as well as behaviours that fall into a ‘grey area’, with many of the latter occurring between boyfriends/girlfriends. Conclusion: Findings from the study contribute to the current knowledge base concerning IPV among US college students and their understanding of which behaviours are acceptable by intimate partners and which are not. Future research is needed with a larger more representative sample to extend the current findings. However, interim findings can be used to drive future research and may provide some insight into current student perceptions of IPV.

Injury and Sociodemographic Characteristics of Intimate Partner Violence in Women in Israel: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study

“…Intimate partner violence (IPV) includes acts of psychological, physical, or sexual harm that occur in a romantic relationship by a current or former dating partner or spouse (Rich et al, 2022). Physical manifestations of IPV are the leading cause of nonfatal injury among women worldwide (Graham et al, 2021).…”

Improving School Environments for Preventing Sexual Violence Among LGBTQ+ Youth*

“…3 SV can also take on non-contact forms, such as sexual harassment, stalking, or unwanted sexual comments. 1,2,4 SV begins early: nearly 60% of women and over 40% of men who experience unwanted sexual contact report it first occurring before age 18. 3 Experiencing SV is associated with numerous short-and longterm adverse health outcomes, including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, injury, substance use, and decreased academic achievement.…”

“…3 SV can also take on non-contact forms, such as sexual harassment, stalking, or unwanted sexual comments. 1,2,4 SV begins early: nearly 60% of women and over 40% of men who experience unwanted sexual contact as lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning, or another non-heterosexual identity were more likely to report experiencing forced sexual intercourse than their heterosexual peers (20% vs 5%). 14 School is an important context for these experiences, especially for adolescents who spend substantial time in school and have frequent interactions with peers.…”

“…In the United States, over half of women (54.3%) and nearly one third of men (30.7%) experience rape, sexual coercion, and/or unwanted sexual contact in their lifetimes 3 . SV can also take on non‐contact forms, such as sexual harassment, stalking, or unwanted sexual comments 1,2,4 . SV begins early: nearly 60% of women and over 40% of men who experience unwanted sexual contact report it first occurring before age 18 3 .…”