Assessing Prevalence and Awareness of Violent Behaviors in the Intimate Partner Relationships of College Students Using Internet Sampling

摘要

This study is an investigation of the occurrence and awareness of violence in intimate partner relationships as reported by college students recruited by e-mail from a small Midwestern university. Students responded to an online survey using a modified version of the Conflict Tactics Scale 2. Data were collected on the occurrences of violent behaviors in their intimate partner relationships as well as their awareness of victimization and perpetration behaviors. Over 22% of the students who have been perpetrators or victims of violent physical acts are still unaware that these violent behaviors constitute relational abuse. Descriptive statistics concerning the prevalence of physical, sexual, and psychological violence are also reported. Implications about Internet sampling and the prevalence and awareness of intimate partner violence are discussed.