Nursing Student Awareness and Perception of Intimate Partner Violence: A Study of the UNC-Chapel Hill Undergraduate Nursing Program

Many practicing nurses cite a lack of education about intimate partner violence (IPV) in nursing school as a cause of their low self-efficacy in addressing it with patients (Beccaria, Beccaria, Dawson, Gorman, Harris, & Hossain, 2013). Many published studies have tested strategies to increase knowledge of IPV in the practicing RN population (Beccaria et. al, 2013). However, few IPV educational interventions or knowledge assessment surveys have been conducted with the undergraduate nursing student population (Beccaria et. al, 2013). There is a lack of knowledge about nursing student attitudes towards and knowledge of IPV in the United States (Woodtli & Breslin, 2002). This study aims to explore the attitudes and knowledge of undergraduate nursing students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill towards IPV. This study was conducted with an Accelerated Bachelors of Science in Nursing (ABSN) cohort starting their first semester of the nursing program and an ABSN cohort in their last semester of the program. An electronic survey containing instruments to measure student’s self-efficacy in addressing IPV, nursing roles and values related to IPV, and educational preparedness to address IPV was circulated amongst these students. The comparison of these 2 cohorts provides important information about the impact of the IPV nursing curriculum upon both students’ readiness to address IPV in clinical practice and their perception of it. ABSN students are required to have a previous bachelor’s degree and bring diverse life experiences to the nursing program. For this reason, the study was also conducted with students in the Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. BSN students are primarily seeking their first degree and most are in their early twenties. Including BSN students in the study provides information about the impact of the IPV nursing curriculum on a population lacking in life experience which would otherwise be helpful in addressing IPV in clinical practice.Bachelor of Scienc