Identify and analyze intimate partner's emotional, physical, and sexual abuse among college students in rural areas; Implications for university setting interventions

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious, preventable public health concern in the US, especially in rural areas. The goal of this study was to describe and analyze physical, emotional and sexual abuse by intimate partners as well as reporting to officials and healthcare professionals or friends.

Methods: Data was analyzed from 648 undergraduate students (35% of the student body population) who took part in a comprehensive campus health needs assessment at a small rural New England college. Besides demographic and health behavior items, the instrument included questions about satisfaction with partners, emotional/physical/sexual abuse, reporting the abuse, physical or virtual stalking and threats. Descriptive and correlation analyses were performed.  

Results: The majority of the participants expressed that they are satisfied with their current partners, while 15% reported that they do not receive emotional support. Emotional abuse was the most common type of abuse (32%) when compared to physical (9%) and sexual (11%) abuse, experienced while at college and during lifetime. The majority (82%) of the respondents who experienced abuse did not report or discuss it with anyone. Respondents were more likely to discuss the abuse with their friends and mothers when compared to physicians, counselors, and law enforcement. In addition, respondents reported experiencing physical stalking threats, and virtual/texting stalking. Experiencing abuse was correlated with depression, stress, and anxiety.

Implications: Theory-driven and population specific interventions should be designed by universities in rural areas to raise awareness about abuse, provide resources, and facilitate ways to improve report of abuse and stalking.