Midwifery students' attitudes toward violence against women by metaphor analysis: a qualitative study

We conducted this study to examine the attitudes and metaphorical perceptions of violence against women among midwifery students.

This Convergent Mixed-Methods study involved 383 midwifery students enrolled in a health sciences department during the 2024-2025 academic year. Data were collected using the Student Information Form, the Scale of Attitude Toward Violence Against Women, and the Metaphor Identification Form on Violence Against Women.

Of the midwifery students, 21.5% reported exposure to at least one form of violence, with emotional and verbal violence being the most commonly reported. A substantial proportion of midwifery students remained silent when exposed to violence. The total mean attitude score for violence against women was 27.32±6.46, indicating non-traditional and non-myth-supporting attitudes. The metaphor analysis yielded eight overarching themes.

The findings suggest that midwifery students hold contemporary and critical attitudes toward violence against women; however, their help-seeking behaviors remain limited due to sociocultural barriers. The metaphors produced reflect a deep understanding of the destructive, cyclical, and structurally oppressive nature of violence. Overall, our findings demonstrate that midwifery students possess a multidimensional and detailed understanding of violence against women; however, persistent barriers to help-seeking behavior indicate that sociocultural norms remain powerful.