Prevalence of dating violence and its impact on undergraduate students’ learning at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Abstract

The study explored the prevalence of dating violence and its impact on learning among undergraduate psychology students in the University of Cape Coast. The descriptive survey design was employed for the study with a total of 376 students made up of 193 males and 183 females drawn from the department of education and psychology. Proportional and systematic sampling procedures were employed to obtain the sample. Results revealed that undergraduate psychology students experience dating violence ranging from physical, psychological and sexual. Results indicated that dating violence has negative impact on students academically, socially and psychologically. It was again discovered that female undergraduate students and young undergraduate students experience dating violence more than male undergraduate students and older under undergraduate students. It was recommended that undergraduate students should postpone dating while in school and concentrate on their learning. Besides, those who may be affected should seek counselling.

Keywords: Dating, violence, prevalence, undergraduate students, learning