Factors affecting nursing students' attitudes towards violence against women: a cross-sectional study

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine nursing studentsʼ attitudes towards violence against women (VAW) and factors that might influence these attitudes, in particular, those related to their sociodemographic characteristics, previous exposure to violence, and knowledge of violence. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: The study sample consisted of 284 nursing students. The data were collected using a student information form and a standardized tool: the Attitude towards Violence against Women Scale (ATVAWS). Results: Students who were female, students who had graduated from vocational schools of health, students whose mothers had had a medium-level of education, and students who were interested in receiving information on VAW had attitudes to VAW that were more progressive (p < 0.05). In contrast, students who had received education on VAW, students who had witnessed or been subjected to domestic violence, and students who had experienced violence from their partners had attitudes to VAW that were more conservative (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Factors affecting students’ ATVAWS mean scores were gender, type of school graduated from, mother’s level of education, education on VAW, willingness to learn about VAW, witnessing of domestic violence, and previous exposure to domestic violence and to violence from partners. Courses on VAW should be led by instructors with sufficient knowledge and experience of the subject.