The effect of the violence against children and ıts prevention course on university students’ awareness of domestic violence and their sensitivity to violence against children

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the "Violence Against Children and Its Prevention" course on university students' awareness of domestic violence and their sensitivity to violence against children. Material and Method: The study was conducted during the 2021-2022 academic year at a state university located in the Mediterranean region. One hundred students who enrolled in the elective course "Violence Against Children and Its Prevention" participated in the study, with 81 students completing it. Data were collected using the Student Identification Form, the Domestic Violence Awareness Scale (DVAS), and the Sensitivity to Violence Against Children Scale (SVACS) through a Google survey. Descriptive statistics, Shapiro-Wilk, Man-Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis, and Wilcoxon tests were used for data analysis. Ethical approval was obtained before the study. Results: The average age of the students was 21.1±2.2 years, with 23.5% male and 90.1% second-year undergraduate students. DVAS scores showed statistically significant differences based on gender and family type before the course, but these differences disappeared afterward. SVACS scores showed differences based on gender, class level, and parental education level before the course, but only gender and father's education level differences persisted after the course. DVAS scores significantly increased after the course (p<0.05), whereas SVACS scores did not show statistically significant changes (p>0.05). Conclusion: Future randomized controlled studies are recommended to evaluate the effectiveness of different educational programs aimed at increasing sensitivity to violence against children.