Quality of life of nursing students victims of gender violence

Abstract

Objective: To assess the quality of life of women Nursing students, victims of gender-based violence and to correlate the dimensions of quality of life with the types of violence. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 91 Nursing students from a public university in the southeast region of Brazil between September 2019 and January 2020. A sociodemographic questionnaire, the World Health Organization Violence Against Women, section 10, and the Abbreviated Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) were used. Results: Most students were white (85%), single (87.9%), aged between 18 and 29 years (95.6%) and lived with family members (74.7%). About 41.8% suffered physical violence from the age of 15 years and 30.8% suffered sexual violence in the same period. Cases of sexual harassment before the age of 15 years occurred in 23.1% of the participants. There was no domain of quality of life with means classified as good or very good. The following domains had the lowest ratings: psychological (mean 3.148) and environment (mean 3.305). Sexual violence before the age of 15 years was associated with lower overall health satisfaction (p=0.034). Conclusion: The quality of life of Nursing students who are victims of gender violence requires attention, given the absence of means classified as “good” or “very good” in the domains. The effects of gender violence go beyond physical harm and demand the implementation of public policies based on strategies to prevent and face this public health problem so the victims can have a better quality of life.