Relationship Violence Common in College Students

THURSDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly half of all college-age students have experienced relationship violence at some point in their lives, according to an article published in the July issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Christine M. Forke, of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues surveyed 910 college students to measure self-reported victimization and perpetration of physical, emotional and sexual violence. Relationship violence was further classified as partner or non-partner violence.

Of those surveyed, 44.7 percent, 42.1 percent and 17.1 percent reported partner/non-partner violence, victimization, and perpetration, respectively. Sexual and emotional violence were equally common during college (12 percent and 11.8 percent, respectively), while emotional violence was most frequent before college (21.1 percent), the investigators found. Women were more likely to perpetrate physical violence and men more likely to perpetrate sexual violence. While victimization was more commonly reported by women, 27.2 percent of men reported victimization, the report indicates.

The authors conclude that "all forms of relationship violence are prevalent among male and female college students" and that the victimization and perpetration rates suggest "a need to assess the availability of high school and college resources for relationship violence prevention and treatment."

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