Dating violence frequently occurs within college students, but few examinations of their beliefs and perceptions about dating violence have been conducted in Taiwan. The purpose of current study was to identify dating violence determinants for college students using the constructs of planned behavior theory. A qualitative study design using semi-structured interviews, guided by the theory of planned behavior, was used to obtain data from a purposive sample of college students. Participants were asked to identify salient beliefs underlying their attitudes (advantages/ disadvantages), subjective norms (what people important to them would think), and perceptions of control (facilitators/ barriers) regarding the intention of dating violence. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. All participants (n=10) were 2 male and 8 female aged between 18 to 22 year. Main advantages perceived of using dating violence were that dating partner obeyed me and I can vent pressure. Disadvantages included my relationship with him / her became worse or separated and is scolded by others. Important people who would approve were friends who were the same type as me. Important people who could disapprove were family and friends. Main facilitators were the dating partner’s bad attitude, disagreed with me, and mood out of control. Main barriers were other people present and dissuaded by important people. This study identifies salient beliefs underlying college students’ perceptions towards dating violence. These findings provide empirical evidences that might assist professionals in creating prevention and intervention programs for reducing dating violence among college students.
