The effect of mindfulness-based violence education given to male university students on dating violence and gender perception: An action research

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the effects of mindfulness-based violence training given to male university students on dating violence attitudes and gender perception. Material and Methods: The sample of the study conducted as an action research consists of eight male students studying in the first year of Aydın Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Nursing in the spring semester of 2023-2024. Participants were given six sessions of awareness-based violence training once a week. In the data collection phase of the study, forms filled in during and at the end of the training session and given as home practice were used, and the Dating Violence Attitude Scale, Gender Perception Scale and Conscious Awareness Scale were applied before and after the training. After the training, one-on-one interviews were conducted with the participants using a semi-structured interview form. Content analysis was performed on the forms and individual observations. Results: As a result of the data analysis, two categories and nine themes were found. In the category of "education and awareness practices", the themes of "usefulness", "applicability", "challenges", "awareness of emotions", "anger management", "continuity of education" were determined, and in the category of "dating violence and gender perception", the themes of "informative", "awareness", "equality" were determined. Conclusion: It was concluded that the training provided in the study had a positive effect on preventing dating violence and changing gender perception in an egalitarian direction, and that supporting it with mindfulness practices was effective in developing skills such as recognizing individuals' emotions and controlling anger. In line with this result, it is thought that the use of mindfulness-based violence training will be useful in preventing dating violence and developing an egalitarian gender perspective. Keywords: Dating violence, gender, awareness (mindfulness), violence education