Intimate Partner Violence and Help-seeking Behavior Among College Students Attending A Historically Black College and University

Abstract

This study provides critical evidence of the diversity of college students’ experiences with intimate partner violence (IPV) and their informal and formal help-seeking behaviors at a historically Black college and university (HBCU). The study collected data on college students ( N = 266) in fall 2021 using a one-site cross-sectional survey data. Findings revealed that many students at the HBCU reported IPV victimization (68.4%), IPV perpetration (68.0%), and coexperience of IPV victimization and perpetration (61.3%) in the past 12 months, but a few student survivors of IPV sought help from formal or informal support systems. Further, we found that IPV victimization types (e.g., physical, psychological, sexual abuse, and injury) with different severity levels (e.g., less severe or more severe) were differently related to the student survivor’s help-seeking behaviors from formal and informal support systems. The findings of this study highlight the importance of supporting students attending HBCUs by addressing their perceptions of IPV help-seeking and coping with different types of IPV victimization via culturally tailored IPV prevention programs. HBCU campuses should promote physical health and mental health services for Black/African American survivors in HBCUs.

Intimate Partner Violence and Academic Emotional Exhaustion among University Students: A Public Health Perspective

“…Intimate partner violence and academic emotional exhaustion represent critical public health concerns with far-reaching implications for individuals' physical, mental, and social well-being (Reyes et al, 2023;Schokkenbroek et al, 2024;White et al, 2024). Intimate partner violence, characterized by behaviors such as physical violence, emotional abuse, and sexual coercion within intimate relationships, affects millions of individuals worldwide, with university students being particularly vulnerable (An et al, 2024). Similarly, academic emotional exhaustion, marked by feelings of burnout, fatigue, and disengagement from academic pursuits, is prevalent among students and can have detrimental effects on their academic performance and overall well-being (Kelmendi & Baumgartner, 2020).…”