More than 16 per cent of university students were physically or emotionally abused in the six months before they were asked about their experience, a new study headed by University of British Columbia researcher Elizabeth Saewyc reports.

It's a serious concern, because it can affect students' grades, their mental health, and even their long-term physical health, she said.

The key questions

  • ‘‘Within the last six months have you been emotionally abused (examples include repeated ridicule, threatening statements, destroying belongings, unreasonable jealousy)?’’
  • ‘‘Within the last six months have you been hit, slapped, kicked, or otherwise physically hurt by someone?’’

The women who were abused largely reported emotional attacks — repeated ridicule, threatening statements, destroyed belongings, unreasonable jealousy — whereas men reported more physical abuse.

Overall, the survey of 2,091students — nearly two women for each man — who attended health clinics at four U.S. and one Canadian university between late 2004 and early 2007 found that 16.5 per cent reported being abused.

The proportion of women was slightly less than the 16.5 per cent of the total, and for men slightly more. However, only 2.8 per cent of women reported physical abuse, compared with 9.3 per cent of the men.

For emotional abuse, the figures were 14.8 per cent for women and 8.6 per cent for men.

Students reporting abuse
Emotional Physical
Women 14.8% 2.8%
Men 8.6% 9.3%
Source: Gender Differences in Violence Exposure among University Students Attending Campus Health Clinics in the United States and Canada

Almost half the emotional violence and 20 per cent of the physical violence was done by "intimate partners."

The overall abuse figures are higher than at least one other study on the same issue, but as there is no regular tracking, it's not possible to tell whether it's getting better or worse, Saewyc said.

Alcohol a factor

Abuse is often linked to drinking, said Saewyc, a professor in the university's nursing school.

Over a third of the women and nearly 60 per cent of the men said they had been drinking when the violence occurred.

Two-thirds of the men experiencing physical abuse and about 30 per cent of the women reported they had been drinking at the time.

Drinking has long been associated with acting violently, "but in this study we found alcohol consumption puts both young men and women at higher risk of being victimized, too," she said.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded the study. Saewyc holds the institute's chair in public health.

The study was first published online in the Journal of Adolescent Health in June, and is scheduled for print publication this fall.