A study of psychological violence in intimate partner relationships among university students: a mixed-methods research

Berra Keçeci () and Durmuş Ümmet
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Berra Keçeci: İstanbul Health and Technology University
Durmuş Ümmet: Marmara University

Palgrave Communications, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract The aim of this study is to examine university students’ attitudes and experiences regarding psychological violence in intimate partner relationships in the context of attachment styles, gender roles, and parasocial interactions. In this study, a mixed-methods research design, specifically the explanatory sequential design, was employed. In the quantitative phase, the attitudes of 508 university student participants towards dating violence were examined with structural equation modeling in terms of attachment styles, parasocial interaction levels and gender roles perceptions. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 university students who had experienced psychological violence in their romantic relationships, and the interviews were analyzed with the interpretive phenomenological analysis method. According to the conducted structural equation model, anxious attachment and avoidant attachment predict attitudes towards female psychological dating violence, while anxious attachment predicts attitudes towards male psychological dating violence. In the qualitative phase, the analysis revealed four main themes concerning perceptions of attachment styles: self, attitudes in relationships, evaluation tendencies in relationships, and relationship maintenance styles. Regarding perceptions of gender roles, two main themes emerged: gender equality and relationship roles. Media interactions yielded three main themes: interaction engagement, social learning effects, and the role of media within relationships. Lastly, perceptions of romantic relationship experiences were organized into four main themes: relationship encounters, relationship expectations, relationship issues, and dating violence. The findings suggest that people’s attachment styles, gender roles and interactions with different media channels are effective in their attitudes and experiences towards psychological violence in dating. The results emphasize that personal and social patterns are important in attitudes towards dating violence and that further studies on this subject should be increased.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-04375-0

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