The Effect of Peer Education Based on Assertiveness Skills on Dating Violence Attitudes and Internalized Misogyny

Overview

This study will be conducted to evaluate the effect of assertiveness training given through peer education on dating violence attitudes and internalized misogyny. In this study ; Nursing takes a role in helping individuals obtain and protect their rights as part of its advocacy role, investigates the obstacles to assertive behavior and solutions to develop assertive behavior as part of its researcher role, takes a role in educating individuals on assertiveness as part of its educational role, and finds solutions to individuals' problems as part of its consultancy role. It will play an active role in students' roles such as being able to produce, providing problem-solving skills with appropriate coping methods. This study aims to empower women by providing a positive change in the perception of dating violence attitudes and internalized misogyny through peer education based on assertiveness training. It is thought that with this study, the assertiveness behavior of female students studying at the university will be improved and a positive change will be achieved in the perception of dating violence attitudes and internalized misogyny. The population of the study is female students studying at the university, and female students studying in the midwifery department were selected due to the high density of female students. Female students of Tarsus University Midwifery Department were selected as the intervention group and female students of Mersin University were selected as the control group.

One of the most important problems caused by gender inequality is violence against women. Violence against women is the intimidation of women by using physical force or intimidation, and it covers a wide range of harmful behaviors directed at women and girls because of their gender. The inequality experienced by women regarding their participation in education, paid workforce and decision-making mechanisms negatively affects their access to economic and social resources. Any physical, verbal, psychological, sexual violence and maltreatment that occurs within a dating relationship is considered dating violence. Dating violence negatively affects the individual's quality of life by causing negative effects on a person's self-confidence and self-esteem. Adolescence is a period in which the individual develops an identity, is more questioning, reactive, sensitive, fragile and inexperienced towards life, society and norms compared to other developmental periods, and adopts the values of peer groups. Considering that dating relationships are generally established in adolescence and youth, lack of experience at a young age is one of the effective risk factors for this type of violence. Studies have shown that individuals who experience dating violence during the adolescence period, when vital values are newly formed, have no awareness of the violence experienced, or even if they have awareness, they cannot find a solution to this problem. Exposure to dating violence during adolescence chronicizes the violence, increasing the risk of being both a victim of violence and a perpetrator of violence in adulthood. Women, who have a more passive role due to their gender roles, are exposed to more dating violence than men. Women may even internalize the violence to which society exposes them and turn it into misogyny towards their fellow men.