Violence-Related Behaviors Among Iranian University Students: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and its Relationship with Religiosity and Family Support

Background and aims: Violence is recognized as a significant public health problem throughout the world. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of violence-related behaviors and its relationship with other risky behaviors, family support, and religiosity among students in Bushehr. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 977 students in Bushehr city, southern Iran, in 2016. Required data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire on violence-related behaviors and other risky behaviors. The validity of the questionnaire was measured by MPH students with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.90. Additionally, family support scale and religious belief questionnaire were applied. Data analysis was performed using chi-square, t test, and logistic regression model in SPSS version 16.0. Results: The overall prevalence rates of weapon carrying and physical fighting were reported to be 9.1% and 7.1%, respectively. The findings of this study revealed that hookah use (OR: 2.93), physical fight (OR: 5.64), and having unsafe sex (OR: 2.42) were associated with weapon carrying (P < 0.001). Moreover, male gender (OR: 3.36), illicit drug use (OR: 3.64), weapon carrying (OR: 5.24), and family support (OR: 0.97) were shown to be associated with physical fight (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of the present study suggested co-occurrence nature of risky behaviors. Given the high prevalence of violence-related behaviors, the implementation of preventive interventions for college students is of great importance.