Nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, preparedness and practice towards intimate partner violence against women: a scoping review and thematic synthesis

Abstract

Background: Nursing students regularly work with women who have experienced intimate partner violence in their clinical placements and subsequently as registered nurses. They have a role in early detection, intervention, onward referral and education of women about intimate partner violence. Therefore, it is necessary to gain a comprehensive understanding of their capability to care for abused women and identify learning needs. Nonetheless, the level of preparedness of nursing students to deal with intimate partner violence has not been reviewed.

Aim: To search and review the existing evidence on nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, preparedness and practice towards intimate partner violence.

Method: This scoping review was guided using the PRISMA extension checklist for scoping reviews. Four databases were searched to identify relevant evidence published between 2010 and 2021. The review included eighteen empirical studies (10 quantitative, 4 qualitative and 4 mixed-method studies). Data were extracted and synthesized into seven themes.

Result: Nursing students were more knowledgeable of and readily recognized physical and sexual abuse than psychological abuse. Nursing students' roles and attitudes varied widely between different countries. Students faced difficulty in identifying and managing intimate partner violence clinically. Students who received education on domestic violence held more positive attitudes and were more knowledgeable and prepared.

Conclusion: Nurse educators need to enhance students' understanding and perception of intimate partner violence and optimize their capability to manage it in the clinical setting. This study identifies barriers to nursing students' readiness to manage intimate partner violence and suggests four areas of development for nursing curricula.

Keywords: Domestic violence; Gender-based violence; Nursing curricula.