Online Psychosocial Intervention for Nursing Students Who Experienced Intimate Partner Abuse in Türkiye.

BACKGROUND/

OBJECTIVES

Intimate partner abuse (IPA) is common among university students, including nursing students, and is linked to posttraumatic stress symptoms. Accessible online psychosocial interventions are needed to reduce trauma-related symptoms and support posttraumatic growth (PTG). This study examined the effects of an online psychosocial intervention grounded in social learning theory and cognitive behavioral therapy on posttraumatic stress symptoms and PTG among nursing students who experienced IPA in Türkiye.

METHODS

A randomized controlled trial was conducted among nursing students in Türkiye reporting IPA exposure. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 17) or a control group (n = 18). The intervention group received an eight-session online psychosocial program delivered individually. Assessments were conducted at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used, and partial eta-squared (ηp2) values were calculated.

RESULTS

The intervention group showed significant reductions in posttraumatic stress symptoms compared with the control group, with large effect sizes (p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.402-0.676). Furthermore, significant increases were observed in posttraumatic growth, indicating large and sustained effects over time (p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.515-0.773).

CONCLUSIONS

The online psychosocial intervention effectively reduced posttraumatic stress symptoms and enhanced posttraumatic growth among nursing students who experienced IPA. However, results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size, and future studies with larger samples are warranted.