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Mental health and health-related quality of life of Chinese college students who were the victims of dating violence

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the study is to evaluate the mental health and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of Chinese college students who were the victims of dating violence.

Methods

Six hundred and fifty-two subjects were included in the data analysis. Subjects completed a structured questionnaire containing the Woman Abuse Screening tool, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the 10-item version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF).

Results

Analysis by independent t test suggested that victims of dating violence had more severe depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms and poorer HRQOL than non-victims. Multiple linear regression models found that more severe dating violence victimization was associated with more severe depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms. The mediation analysis found that after simultaneously controlling for the degree of depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms, the direct effect between dating violence severity and HRQOL, as measured by overall HRQOL and the global health, physical and environment domains of the WHOQOL-BREF, was statistically insignificant, supporting a full-mediation model. The relationship between dating violence severity and the social domain of HRQOL was partially mediated by the degree of depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms.

Conclusion

Victims of dating violence had poorer mental health and HRQOL than non-victims. The study findings affirm the importance of assessing depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms in victims and the need to improve their depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms to diminish the negative effects of dating violence, which are apparent in their HRQOL.

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Funding

The present study was supported by the Small Project Funding (201309176196), the University of Hong Kong

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong, 4/F, William M.W. Mong Block 21, Sassoon Road, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong

    Edmond P. H. Choi, Janet Y. H. Wong & Daniel Y. T. Fong

  2. Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, The University of Hong Kong, Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong

    Edmond P. H. Choi

Authors
  1. Edmond P. H. Choi
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  2. Janet Y. H. Wong
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  3. Daniel Y. T. Fong
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Correspondence to Edmond P. H. Choi.

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All authors declare they have no conflict of interest

Ethical approval

The study protocol was approved by the institutional review boards of universities.

Ethical standards

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Choi, E.P.H., Wong, J.Y.H. & Fong, D.Y.T. Mental health and health-related quality of life of Chinese college students who were the victims of dating violence. Qual Life Res 26, 945–957 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1413-4

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