The examination of dating violence experiences, attitudes towards dating violence and self-harming tendencies of students at a foundation university

Introduction: Dating violence is defined as physical, emotional, sexual, or digital abuse inflicted by one partner on the other in a romantic relationship with the aim of gaining control or power. This study was conducted to examine the attitudes towards dating violence, its prevalence, and self-harming tendencies among students of a foundation university. Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 306 students selected through a simple random sampling method among students from nursing, nutrition and dietetics, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, medicine, and pharmacy departments at a foundation university. Data collection began in May 2024 and was completed in August 2024, with participants recruited from Yeditepe University. The data were collected online via a Google Forms survey. The instruments used in the study were the Sociodemographic Information Form, the Dating Violence Attitudes Scale [DVAS], the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury [ISAS], and the Romantic Relationship Assessment Scale [RRAS]. Findings: In the study, it was found that 16.0% of the participants perceived a moderately high level, and 15.4% perceived a high level of dating violence in their romantic relationships. Regarding self-injurious behavior [SIB], 48.4% of the participants engaged in high-intensity self-injurious behavior, while 51.6% engaged in low-intensity self-injurious behavior. According to the results of the Spearman correlation test between the Dating Violence Attitudes Scale and the Romantic Relationship Assesment Scale, as the acceptance of dating violence increased, the perceived level of dating violence in romantic relationships also increased [rho =-0.787; p <0.001]. In addition, strong negative correlations were found between the Dating Violence Attitudes Scale and the autonomy [rho =-0.624] and social functioning [rho =-0.663] subscales of the Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury [p <0.001]. According to the Mann-Whitney U test results, a significant difference was found between low and high-intensity self-injurious behavior groups [U = 6084.000; p <0.001], with individuals who were more approving of dating violence exhibiting higher-intensity self-injurious behaviors. Similarly, those in the high-intensity self-injurious behavior group were found to perceive more dating violence in their romantic relationships [U = 5042.000; p <0.001]. It was observed that as individuals' perceived levels of dating violence in romantic relationships increased, their engagement in self-injurious behaviors for purposes of social and autonomous functioning also increased. Conclusion: This study found a significant relationship between accepting attitudes toward dating violence and self-harming behaviors, indicating that individuals who experience dating violence are at a higher risk of self-harm. Additionally, it was determined that as the rejection of dating violence increases, exposure to it decreases. Key Words: Dating Violence, Self-Harm Tendencies, Romantic Relationship