Gender-Based Violence Perceptions and Attitudes Among Colombian Nursing Students in 2024

Abstract

Introduction: Gender-based violence is a social issue affecting women of all cultures from a young age. In Colombia, the number of cases of violence against women has increased in recent years. The lifting of lockdown measures facilitated women reporting these cases, with most women being victims of domestic violence, primarily at the hands of current or former partners. Objective: To describe the association between attitudes towards gender-based violence and age, sex, and academic year among undergraduate nursing students in Colombia. Methodology: A quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was conducted involving 120 nursing students from the first to eighth semesters at a Colombian university. Attitudes towards gender-based violence were measured through three components: cognitive, affective, and behavioral, using the Attitudes towards Gender-Based Violence Scale. Results: 84.2% were women, 15.8% were men, and 55% were Catholic. The predominant percentage (40%) had a negative attitude, indicating a mostly rejecting attitude towards gender-based violence. Despite this, more than half have a neutral or accepting position towards gender-based violence as a whole. Conclusions: Attitudes towards gender-based violence among students show a majority trend towards the negative, with notable differences in the cognitive, behavioral, and affective components. In the cognitive component, a negative attitude predominates; in the behavioral component, a positive attitude is predominant; and in the affective component, indifference prevails.