中国北方城市妇女妊娠前、妊娠期及产后家庭暴力的调查

目的 探讨妊娠前、妊娠期及产后针对妇女的家庭暴力发生的现况以及相关的影响因素。方法 在天津市、河南省、辽宁省以及陕西省，采用分层整群抽样及面对面调查的方法，选择32个区，对有6～18月龄小儿的妇女进行调查，以了解她们妊娠前、妊娠期和产后家庭暴力的情况。采用SPSS软件进行分析。结果 中国北方部分地区妊娠前、妊娠期和产后家庭暴力总的发生率为12．6％，其中性暴力的发生率最高(8．0％)，心理暴力的发生率最低(3．5％)，躯体暴力发生率居中(5．6％)。妊娠前、妊娠期和产后家庭暴力的发生率分别为9．1％、4．3％和8．3％。进一步分析显示妊娠前发生家庭暴力则预示着妊娠期、产后很可能发生家庭暴力。单因素分析发现与家庭暴力相关的因素有：妇女和配偶的受教育程度低、结婚时间长、体力劳动者、个人月收入低、吸烟、饮酒。还发现妇女见到周围有人挨丈夫打的及夫妻关系不好者，发生家庭暴力的可能性大。结论 中国北方城市家庭暴力的发生率较高，应该引起足够的重视。对医务人员进行广泛深入的培训，以增强他们对家庭暴力的认识和反应，以及了解如何进行筛查和管理家庭暴力案例。     

Domestic violence against women seeking induced abortion in China

A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence, type and severity of domestic violence (DV), and determine the factors related to DV among women seeking induced abortion in China. A total of 1215 women seeking induced abortion were interviewed. The results show that the prevalence of DV among participants was 22.6%. The violence included 18.1% sexual abuse, 7.8% physical abuse and 3.0% emotional abuse. Among abused women, 46 (16.8%) experienced violence frequently; 4.4% experienced three types of violence (sexual, physical and emotional violence). The number of times of having induced abortion in the abused group was significantly higher than that in the nonabused group (p<.001). There is statistically significant association between the occurrence of DV and relevant factors including fear of partner, quarreling with partner, partner's economic control, receiving the cold shoulder from partner (p<.001, OR 1.8-2.5).     

Domestic violence against women in Egypt--wife beating and health outcomes

Research has consistently demonstrated that a woman is more likely to be abused by an intimate partner than by any other person. Many negative health consequences to the victims have been associated with domestic violence against women. Data from the 1995 Egyptian Demographic and Health Survey, a nationally representative household survey, were analyzed for 6566 currently married women age 15-49 who responded to both the main questionnaire and a special module on women's status. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine the association of ever-beating, beating in past year or frequency of beatings in past year with contraceptive use, pregnancy management, and report of health problems. Thirty-four percent of women in the sample were ever beaten by their current husband while 16% were beaten in the past year. Ever-beaten women were more likely to report health problems necessitating medical attention as were women beaten in the past year compared to never-beaten women. Regarding reproductive health, higher frequency of beating was associated with non-use of a female contraceptive method, while ante-natal care (ANC) by a health professional for the most recent baby born in the past year was less likely among ever-beaten women (OR = 0.17, p < 0.05). Unexpectedly, among professional ANC patients, those ever-abused were more likely to make four or more visits (OR = 36.54, p < 0.05). In Egypt as elsewhere around the world, wife beating is related to various negative health outcomes. Women's programmes must take domestic violence into account if they want to better address the needs of a non-negligible proportion of their target population.     

Domestic violence against Mexican teenagers

OBJECTIVE: To assess students' perception of domestic violence. METHODS: The study was carried out in a random sample representative (n=5,982) of high-school students aged between 13 and 19 years in Chiapas and San Luis Potosi, Mexico, in 2003. The students answered a self-administered questionnaire on sexual education, sexuality, pregnancy and risk behavior, and domestic violence. Considering the effects of the sample design, a logistic regression analysis was carried out in order to verify the association between socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and risk of domestic violence. RESULTS: The multivariate statistical analysis confirmed that female students are more vulnerable to domestic violence in both states studied (Chiapas: OR=1.87, p=0.01; San Luis: OR=1.53, p=0.00). Moreover, alcohol (Chiapas: OR=2.52, p=0.00; San Luis: OR=1.93, p=0.00) or drug use (Chiapas: OR=2.27, p=0.02; San Luis: OR=1.82, p=0.01) were the two most significant variables for students exposure to domestic violence. The association between alcohol consumption and student's age increases the risk of violence. The youngest students had 51% (Chiapas) and 73% (San Luis) more risk of experience violence by a relative than older students. CONCLUSIONS: Teenagers remain one of the most vulnerable population groups to domestic violence due to their physical, affective, economic and social dependence on other adults. The study was one of the first attempts to measure domestic violence against students.     

International conferences on violence against women

Violence against women has been written about as an international health issue. Since 1975 international conferences and organizations have addressed the problems. The resulting resolutions requested that measures be taken to eliminate violence against women.     

Domestic violence against women in India: A systematic review of a decade of quantitative studies

Domestic violence (DV) is prevalent among women in India and has been associated with poor mental and physical health. We performed a systematic review of 137 quantitative studies published in the prior decade that directly evaluated the DV experiences of Indian women to summarise the breadth of recent work and identify gaps in the literature. Among studies surveying at least two forms of abuse, a median 41% of women reported experiencing DV during their lifetime and 30% in the past year. We noted substantial inter-study variance in DV prevalence estimates, attributable in part to different study populations and settings, but also to a lack of standardisation, validation, and cultural adaptation of DV survey instruments. There was paucity of studies evaluating the DV experiences of women over age 50, residing in live-in relationships, same-sex relationships, tribal villages, and of women from the northern regions of India. Additionally, our review highlighted a gap in research evaluating the impact of DV on physical health. We conclude with a research agenda calling for additional qualitative and longitudinal quantitative studies to explore the DV correlates proposed by this quantitative literature to inform the development of a culturally tailored DV scale and prevention strategies.     

Somatic consequences of violence against women.

The rapidly growing literature on the somatic, nonpsychiatric effects of violence on women's health is reviewed, including rape, battery, and the adult consequences of child sexual abuse. The sequelae of these victimizations are summarized with consideration of acute effects (genital and nongenital injuries, sexually transmitted disease, and pregnancy), late consequences (chronic pelvic pain and other forms of chronic pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, premenstrual symptoms, and negative health behaviors), and long-term increases in the use of medical services. A recurrent theme across the literature is that the medical treatment of all types of victimized women can be improved by providing attention to the underlying cause of their symptoms. Achievement of this goal requires that physicians identify victimization history and provide access to appropriate support services. Because all forms of violence against women are prevalent among primary care populations, and victimization is clearly linked to health, health care providers cannot afford to miss this relevant history. The article concludes with suggestions for fostering and responding to disclosures of victimization.     

Primary prevention of violence against women.

The best mechanisms to prevent violence against women were reviewed in a critical appraisal conducted by the University Health Network Women's Health Program. Several promising primary interventions were identified. These included: educational and policy-related interventions to change social norms, early identification of abuse by health and other professionals, programs and strategies to empower women, safety and supportive resources for victims of abuse, and improved laws and access to the criminal justice system. The policy recommendations emerging from this analysis are presented.