Gender-based violence among female university students: Evidence of prevalence and associated factors

Abstract

Gender-based violence against women is related to gender inequality and is understood as the disruption of any form of the woman’s integrity. It can be physical, sexual, psychological, patrimonial, economic or moral, and can occur in the pri-vate-family environment as well as in the work and public spaces. Gender-based violence affects the health and quality of life of women and can be disseminated in several ways in the university environments, which also affects the women’s aca-demic development. The present study aimed to analyze the evidence about the prevalence of gender-based violence among female university students and its associated factors. This is an integrative literature review performed in the LILACS, PubMed, CINAHL, ERIC and ASSIA databases, in which 22 articles met the selection criteria. Evidence available in the literature have indicated different forms of gender-based violence among college women perpetrated by intimate partners and other aggressors. The prevalence of gender-based violence in female university students reported in the studies varied between 1.3% and 85%, differing according to the type of violence. Such violence is associated to social and behavioral factors, as younger students presented higher rates of violence, as well as those of a non-white race/ethnicity, those who identified themselves as homosexual or bisexual, and those with a previous history of victimization. Evidence about the use of alcohol and other drugs by women and their participation in social fraternities or sororities differed according to the type of violence. Thus, one may conclude that the prevalence of gender-based violence among the population of female university students varies according to its typification, is mostly perpetrated by men close to the women and is associated with social markers.