“If It’s Not a Slap or a Punch Then It’s Not Violence”: Portuguese University Student’s Representations and Practices About Intimacies and Dating Violence

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

 

Dear Authors,

Thank you for the opportunity to review your manuscript. The topic is relevant and addresses an important field of research. I propose some improvements, below:

 

Title

Since your study is mainly focused on dating violence, I recommend incorporating Dating violence into the title. I believe that it will allow the work on display to be more contextualized.

 

"If it’s not a slap or a punch then it's not violence": University student’s represen-2 tations and practices about intimacies and dating violence

 

Abstract

Line 5: Detail how many focus groups they conducted. They express the number of participants, but not the number of focus groups that were developed. It specifies it in line 175 of the article, but it must be in the abstract.

 

Line 9: They use the acronym DV to refer to "dating violence", I recommend that the first time it appears, detail it completely, and then its abbreviation, whoever does not know the context or specific terms may have difficulty understanding the abstract.

 

Line 18: Refers that the study will enrich the scarce qualitative research in Portuguese youth, but at no time prior to referring to the population of analysis.

I encourage you to reorganize the abstract, briefly incorporating the description of the methodology, study population, detailing the geographical data. You can do this on line 5-6 where you detail the focus groups, and the age.

 

Introduction

I consider that it is very well structured, an exposition of the fundamental elements of the study based on current bibliography and of great value.

 

Materials and Methods

I recommend that you do not detail the first part of the study, since it can generate conflict of interest and be perceived as a duplication of information.

In addition, when reading it it can generate doubts as to whether everything has been addressed in this article, or only the last part.

I recommend that you eliminate the information from line 130 to 136, and that you only detail the methodology present in this study, expanding the information on the selected methodology.

 

2.2 Study setting and participants: line 154-160

Line 155: Detail more information about what ANONYMIZED is. When I invited him to remove it from above, the only brief mention would be here, to contextualize where this study comes from, but without detailing the above.

Describe the characteristics of the students: discipline they study, course they are in. I consider these details essential to better understand the results.

In line 156-157 it details that there are three types of profiles in the participants Female, Male and Non binary person, I recommend including in parentheses the way in which you are going to represent it in the verbalizations "21 females (F), 13 males (M) and 1 non-binary person (detail).

 

 

Result

Line 222-231 Incorporates detailed information in the introductory part, which presents some subjectivity. I recommend that you dispense with this introductory section, and focus on the presentation of the data around the real objective of the study (line 122-128) and not the one detailed in line 222 "This study aimed to contribute with a qualitative approach to Portuguese research 222 field on IPV and DV among young university students"

 

It details that in its participants there was one Non binary person, but no verbalization with a different identification than F (Female), M (Male) is detailed. Is there a reason?

I consider it essential, given the influence of gender, that some contribution from this person appears.

 

I note that in the results they have introduced elements of the discussion. Traditionally, the results section is exclusively dedicated to the presentation of the results, without adding references to other articles. For this reason, I invite you to modify these interesting reflections to the Discussion section, taking care that they do not duplicate what has already been exposed in this section.

 

 

Discussion

Line 431-436 reiterative information, I consider this introduction not necessary.

Very good, clear and complete analysis of all the remarkable elements of the results.

 

Conclusion

I believe that the conclusions are clear and highlight the most important points of the work carried out and previously presented.

 

Reference

Updated, timely and of great importance and relevance to the topics studied. In addition, it adjusts to the recommended format.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer 1,

Thank you for your input. All of them have been considered and have enriched our manuscript.

The changes have been inserted in red in the main text, and we adress each of your comments in this response letter.

Title

Since your study is mainly focused on dating violence, I recommend incorporating Dating violence into the title. I believe that it will allow the work on display to be more contextualized.

"If it’s not a slap or a punch then it's not violence": University student’s representations and practices about intimacies and dating violence

Response: Thank You for Your Appreciation has been included in the title Dating Violence

Abstract

Line 5: Detail how many focus groups they conducted. They express the number of participants, but not the number of focus groups that were developed. It specifies it in line 175 of the article, but it must be in the abstract.

Response: Added number of focus groups

Line 9: They use the acronym DV to refer to "dating violence", I recommend that the first time it appears, detail it completely, and then its abbreviation, whoever does not know the context or specific terms may have difficulty understanding the abstract.

Response: Added dating violence

Line 18: Refers that the study will enrich the scarce qualitative research in Portuguese youth, but at no time prior to referring to the population of analysis.

I encourage you to reorganize the abstract, briefly incorporating the description of the methodology, study population, detailing the geographical data. You can do this on line 5-6 where you detail the focus groups, and the age.

Response:  These considerations have been included. After this consideration, we have also considered it pertinent to add the country of realization of the studio in the title.

Introduction

I consider that it is very well structured, an exposition of the fundamental elements of the study based on current bibliography and of great value.

Response: Thank you for your kind words.

Materials and Methods

I recommend that you do not detail the first part of the study, since it can generate conflict of interest and be perceived as a duplication of information.

In addition, when reading it it can generate doubts as to whether everything has been addressed in this article, or only the last part.

I recommend that you eliminate the information from line 130 to 136, and that you only detail the methodology present in this study, expanding the information on the selected methodology.

Response: This aspect has been removed.

2.2 Study setting and participants: line 154-160

Line 155: Detail more information about what ANONYMIZED is. When I invited him to remove it from above, the only brief mention would be here, to contextualize where this study comes from, but without detailing the above.

Describe the characteristics of the students: discipline they study, course they are in. I consider these details essential to better understand the results.

In line 156-157 it details that there are three types of profiles in the participants Female, Male and Non binary person, I recommend including in parentheses the way in which you are going to represent it in the verbalizations "21 females (F), 13 males (M) and 1 non-binary person (detail).

Response: Information has been added about the participants’ studies field and subjects, see lines 167-171. Finally, the manour of naming verbatims has been added.

Results

Line 222-231 Incorporates detailed information in the introductory part, which presents some subjectivity. I recommend that you dispense with this introductory section, and focus on the presentation of the data around the real objective of the study (line 122-128) and not the one detailed in line 222 "This study aimed to contribute with a qualitative approach to Portuguese research 222 field on IPV and DV among young university students"

Response: Thank you for your appreciation. Lines 222-231 have been eliminated, and replaced by an introductory paragraph to the results and that fits with the real objectives of the study set out in lines 122-128.

It details that in its participants there was one Non binary person, but no verbalization with a different identification than F (Female), M (Male) is detailed. Is there a reason?

I consider it essential, given the influence of gender, that some contribution from this person appears.

Response: Thank you for your suggestion! We add two contributions of this participant (see lines 290-294 and lines 357-360).

I note that in the results they have introduced elements of the discussion. Traditionally, the results section is exclusively dedicated to the presentation of the results, without adding references to other articles. For this reason, I invite you to modify these interesting reflections to the Discussion section, taking care that they do not duplicate what has already been exposed in this section.

Response: Thank you for your appreciation, The discussion has been removed from the results section. Only phrases that summarize the content of the participants' verbabilzations have been kept in the text.

 

Discussion

Line 431-436 reiterative information, I consider this introduction not necessary.

Very good, clear and complete analysis of all the remarkable elements of the results.

Response: Thank you for your comment. Lines 431-436 have been deleted from the text due to their reiteration as indicated.

Conclusion

I believe that the conclusions are clear and highlight the most important points of the work carried out and previously presented.

Response: Thank you for your kind words.

Reference

Updated, timely and of great importance and relevance to the topics studied. In addition, it adjusts to the recommended format.

Response: Thank you for your comment.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

It is necessary to clarify the concepts of “gender violence” and “domestic violence”:

Most of the research carried out on violence in couple relationships has focused on marriage or consolidated adult couples, so they would fall within the category of family or domestic violence.

However, it is necessary to differentiate and separate the term gender violence from domestic violence. Gender violence is not the same as domestic violence. The former points to women as victims outside of spaces or places and the latter places the problem exclusively in the family environment.

Obviously it must be recognized that the family environment is a favorable space for the exercise of violence, but so is the couple and, however, neither one nor the other exhausts the multiplicity of places and spaces in which gender violence can manifest itself, or better yet, violence in couple relationships, a term that includes men and women as potential aggressors and victims, regardless of their sex and gender.

 

Author Response

Dear Reviewer 2,

We would like to thank you for your time and availability in reviewing and appreciating our work, as well your valuable suggestions.

Comment:

It is necessary to clarify the concepts of “gender violence” and “domestic violence”:

Most of the research carried out on violence in couple relationships has focused on marriage or consolidated adult couples, so they would fall within the category of family or domestic violence.

However, it is necessary to differentiate and separate the term gender violence from domestic violence. Gender violence is not the same as domestic violence. The former points to women as victims outside of spaces or places and the latter places the problem exclusively in the family environment.

Obviously it must be recognized that the family environment is a favorable space for the exercise of violence, but so is the couple and, however, neither one nor the other exhausts the multiplicity of places and spaces in which gender violence can manifest itself, or better yet, violence in couple relationships, a term that includes men and women as potential aggressors and victims, regardless of their sex and gender.

Response:

Thank you for your valuable comments and suggestions! You are correct that some concepts were unclear. We have made changes to the introduction section (see lines 25-31 and 71-83) to define the key concepts and establish their conceptual clarity and articulation. 

It is important to note that not all gender-based violence (GBV) occurs in private spheres. Examples include workplace harassment, certain forms of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, and sexual violence in public spaces targeting women. Similarly, domestic violence can encompass broader forms of family violence, such as child abuse or violence against the elderly. 

Regarding intimate partner violence (IPV), we have clarified that not all IPV constitutes GBV or domestic violence. However, much of the IPV reported in the international and national data cited in the introduction section reflects gendered patterns, disproportionately affecting women throughout their lives. Additionally, IPV can exhibit gendered dimensions, particularly in terms of interpersonal dynamics, as supported by the scientific literature referenced. Dating violence, as a specific form of IPV occurring during adolescence and youth, can also display these gendered dynamics and asymmetries, as discussed in section 1.1. 

Lastly, the Portuguese Penal Code and legal framework does not differentiate between GBV in intimate relationships, domestic violence, or dating violence, since the article that typifies the crime in question brings together these different forms of violence, from family violence to violence in romantic relationships. We hope that adding this information to the article will clarify the issues raised.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx