Dating violence in rural university students: prevalence, gender differences, and implications for preventive education

Abstract

Dating violence among university students represents a significant public-health and educational concern, particularly in rural and socioeconomically vulnerable contexts where preventive services and institutional support systems remain limited. Despite growing international evidence, integrated analyses linking behavioral, socio-environmental, and developmental risk pathways in rural higher-education settings are still scarce. The present study applied a mechanism-oriented analytical framework to examine the prevalence, structure, and determinants of dating violence among undergraduate students in a rural Andean university in Peru. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 474 students from the National University of Huancavelica using the validated questionnaire of the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations of Peru. The instrument assessed psychological, physical, and sexual dating violence alongside sociodemographic and contextual factors. Data analysis combined descriptive statistics, multilevel and cluster-based models, agestratified comparisons, and Bayesian posterior estimation to identify prevalence gradients, latent victimization profiles, and demographic modulation effects. Variables examined included age, gender, living arrangements, parental status, and academic faculty. The results identified three distinct victimization clusters: (1) psychological coercion and emotional regulation vulnerability, (2) physical aggression and conflict-escalation patterns, and (3) sexual victimization linked to power asymmetries. Psychological violence emerged as the most prevalent form (61%), followed by physical (34%) and sexual violence (19%). Age-based trajectories indicated greater severity among younger students, with gradual declines across later university years. Gender analyses showed higher psychological victimization among females and higher physical aggression among males. Faculty-level stratification revealed elevated risk among students enrolled in Engineering and Business programs. Bayesian posterior estimates confirmed the stability and precision of prevalence patterns across subgroups. Resultingly, dating violence among rural university students reflects persistent vulnerability shaped by developmental stage, gender norms, and academic context. The findings highlight the need for early, genderresponsive, and faculty-specific prevention strategies integrated within university education and student-support systems. The study supports the incorporation of data-driven risk monitoring and targeted preventive interventions to reduce dating violence and promote student well-being in higher-education environments.