Expressions of violence in the university environment: the view of nursing students

Abstract

The aim of this qualitative descriptive exploratory study was to investigate the perception of nursing undergraduate students on the forms of expression of violence in the college environment. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. The collected data were submitted to the thematic content analysis, and led to the construction of three categories: “interpersonal violence in the relationships established in the course”, “participation as a victim or perpetrator” and “reasons for the incidence of violence”. The findings highlight inequalities in the relationships of power, the incidence of different types of violence and the tendency to naturalize them. Results point to the need to create a system to make it easier to report cases of abuse and offer support to the victims; to invest in intervention programs to raise awareness on the subject, improve academic relationships and prevent mistreatment; and to include the violence subject in the course program.