Reports of violence against women in different life cycles

Objective

to analyze the reports and factors associated with violence against women.

Method

this was a cross-sectional, exploratory and analytical study with information about the cases of reported violence, extracted from the Civil Police Report Bulletin, in a mid-sized city in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Results

out of the 7,487 reports of violence against women, it was found that 44.6% of the cases were threats, 28.5% aggression, 25.1% bodily injury, 1.1% rape, and 0.7% some other type of injury. In the bivariate analysis, a higher number of cases (p=0.000) committed by partners was evidenced, for all kinds of violence except for rape. Children, adolescents and adults experienced violence by partners, followed by family members. Regarding older women, violence was committed by family members.

Conclusion

there is the need for programs to be established to prevent violence against women in various sectors of society, permeating the life cycle.     

Conjugal violence in the perspective of "Family Health Strategy" professionals: a public health problem and the need to provide care for the women

Objective

to construct a theoretical matrix based on the meanings of the interactions and actions experienced by the professionals regarding the nursing care practices and the health of women in situations of conjugal violence in the ambit of the Family Health Strategy.

Methods

research based in Grounded Theory. Following approval by the Research Ethics Committee, 52 professionals were interviewed in Santa Catarina, Brazil. The analysis was based on open, axial and selective codifications.

Results

the theoretical model was delimited based on the phenomenon "Recognizing conjugal violence as a public health problem, and the need for management of the care for the woman", which reflects the experience of the professionals in relation to care for the woman, as well as the meanings attributed to this care.

Conclusions

the phenomenon allows one to understand the movement of action and interaction regarding the care for the woman in a situation of conjugal violence.     

Immigration experience of Latin American working women in Alicante, Spain: an ethnographic study

OBJECTIVE:

to describe the experience of Latin American working women regarding immigration, taking into account the expectations and conditions in which this process takes place.

METHOD:

ethnographic qualitative study. Data collection was performed by means of semi-structured interviews with 24 Latin American immigrant women in Spain. The information collected was triangulated through two focal groups.

RESULTS:

the expectations of migrant women focus on improving family living conditions. Social support is essential for their settling and to perform daily life activities. They declare they have adapted to the settlement country, although they live with stress. They perceive they have greater sexual freedom and power with their partners but keep greater responsibility in childcare, combining that with the role of working woman.

CONCLUSIONS:

migrant women play a key role in the survival of households, they build and create new meanings about being a woman, their understanding of life, their social and couple relationships. Such importance is shaped by their expectations and the conditions in which the migration process takes place, as well as their work integration.     

How do primary health care professionals deal with pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence?

Objectives

to determine how Family Health Strategy professionals recognize and deal with domestic violence in pregnant women.

Method

qualitative study based on the Theory of Praxis Intervention in Collective Health Nursing (TIPESC). Fourteen professionals at a Basic Health Unit in the east side of Sao Paulo/Brazil were interviewed. Empirical data were categorized and discussed in thematic groups. For data analysis was used the technique of Discourse Analysis.

Results

we identified low number of reported cases of domestic violence; lack of education and training of health care professionals; failure in the identification and intervention process due to bias on their personal problems, moral attitudes and prejudice against these women. In addition, the study showed that their labor process was based entirely on the biological aspects of the women and to overcome this, they need of proper rapport between health care professionals and pregnant women to deal with of domestic violence.

Conclusion

professionals should develop skills to intervene in violence against pregnant women and also modify labor processes considering women in their totality and part of society.     

Common mental disorders and intimate partner violence in pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between common mental disorders and intimate partner violence during pregnancy.

METHODS

A cross sectional study was carried out with 1,120 pregnant women aged 18-49 years old, who were registered in the Family Health Program in the city of Recife, Northeastern Brazil, between 2005 and 2006. Common mental disorders were assessed using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Intimate partner violence was defined as psychologically, physically and sexually abusive acts committed against women by their partners. Crude and adjusted odds ratios were estimated for the association studied utilizing logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The most common form of partner violence was psychological. The prevalence of common mental disorders was 71.0% among women who reported all form of violence in pregnancy and 33.8% among those who did not report intimate partner violence. Common mental disorders were associated with psychological violence (OR 2.49, 95%CI 1.8;3.5), even without physical or sexual violence. When psychological violence was combined with physical or sexual violence, the risk of common mental disorders was even higher (OR 3.45; 95%CI 2.3;5.2).

CONCLUSIONS

Being assaulted by someone with whom you are emotionally involved can trigger feelings of helplessness, low self-esteem and depression. The pregnancy probably increased women`s vulnerability to common mental disorders     

Prenatal Care for Adolescents and attributes of Primary Health Care

Objective

evaluate prenatal care for adolescents in health units, in accordance with the attributes of Primary Health Care (PHC) guidelines.

Method

quantitative study conducted with health professionals, using the Primary Care Assessment Tool-Brazil to assess the presence and extent of PHC attributes.

Results

for all the participating units, the attribute Access scored ≤6.6; the attributes Longitudinality, Coordination (integration of care), Coordination (information systems) and Integrality scored ≥6.6, and the Essential Score ≤6.6. Comparing basic units with family health units, the attribute scores were equally distributed; Accessibility scored ≤6.6, the others attributes scored ≥6.6; however, in the basic units, the Essential Score was ≤6.6 and, in the family health units, ≥6.6.

Conclusion

expanding the coverage of family health units and the training of professionals can be considered strategies to qualify health care.     

Torrenting values,feelings, and thoughts—Cyber nursing and virtual self-care in a breast augmentation forum

Earlier research shows that breast augmentation is positively correlated with positive psychological states. The aim of this study was to explore the shared values, feelings, and thoughts within the culture of breast enlargement among women visiting Internet-based forums when considering and/or undergoing esthetic plastic surgery. The study used a netnographic method for gathering and analyzing data. The findings show that the women used the Internet forum to provide emotional support to other women. Through electronic postings, they cared for and nursed each others’ anxiety and feelings throughout the whole process. Apart from the process, another central issue was that the women''s relationships were frequently discussed; specifically their relationship to themselves, their environment, and with the surgeons. The findings suggest that Internet forums represent a channel through which posters can share values, feelings, and thoughts from the position of an agent of action as well as from a position as the object of action. These dual positions and the medium endow the women with a virtual nursing competence that would otherwise be unavailable. By introducing the concept of torrenting as a means of sharing important self-care information, the authors provide a concept that can be further explored in relation to post modern self-care strategies within contemporary nursing theories and practice.     

Women experiencing the intergenerationality of conjugal violence

Objective:

to analyze the family relationship, in childhood and adolescence, of women who experience conjugal violence.

Method:

qualitative study. Interviews were held with 19 women, who were experiencing conjugal violence, and who were resident in a community in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (N. 42/2011).

Results:

the data was organized using the Discourse of the Collective Subject, identifying the summary central ideas: they witnessed violence between their parents; they suffered repercussions from the violence between their parents: they were angry about the mother''s submission to her partner; and they reproduced the conjugal violence. The discourse showed that the women witnessed, in childhood and adolescence, violence between their parents, and were injured both physically and psychologically. As a result of the mother''s submission, feelings of anger arose in the children. However, in the adult phase of their own lives, they noticed that their conjugal life resembled that of their parents, reproducing the violence.

Conclusion:

investment is necessary in strategies designed to break inter-generational violence, and the health professionals are important in this process, as it is a phenomenon with repercussions in health. Because they work in the Family Health Strategy, which focuses on the prevention of harm and illness, health promotion and interdepartmentality, the nurses are essential in the process of preventing and confronting this phenomenon.     

Health needs: the interface between the discourse of health professionals and victimized women

Objective:

to understand the limits and the evaluative possibilities of the Family Health Strategy regarding the recognition of the health needs of women who experience violence.

Method:

a study with a qualitative approach, grounded in the perspective of gender, and which adopted health needs as the analytical category. The data were collected through interviews with health professionals and women who made use of a health service, and were analyzed using the method of discourse analysis.

Results:

the meeting between the discourses of women who use the services and the professionals of the health service revealed, as the interface, human needs, as in the example of autonomy and of bonds. The understanding regarding the needs was limited to the recognition of health problems of physical and psychological natures, just as the predominance of the recognition of needs for maintaining life in the light of essentially human needs was revealed in the professionals'' discourses as an important limitation of the practices.

Conclusion:

emphasis is placed on the perspective of gender as a tool which must be aggregated to the routine of the professional practices in health so as to confirm or deny the transformative character of the care in place regarding the recognition and confronting of the women''s health needs.     

Context of the beginning of tobacco use in different social groups

Objective

analyze contextual aspects of the beginning of tobacco use in different social groups, from everyday representations about the act of smoking.

Methods

five focus groups were conducted to promote discussion about the context of beginning of tobacco use, with groups of people who represented different patterns of social reproduction. The data analysis was based on the theory of social representations, which contextualizes how each group presents the tobacco consumption.

Results

the contexts of the beginning of tobacco use were diverse, according to patterns of social reproduction; there were common representations to all groups, but there were also unique representations of each social group. Tobacco is represented as indispensable for groups in unstable social reproduction situations, and as an instrument of pleasure and stress relief for those who can access other material assets.

Conclusions

the study contributed to exposing the concepts on tobacco consumption that are socially disseminated, which can serve as an instrument to planning programs and health actions.     

Exercise preferences among women survivors of sexual violence by PTSD and physical activity level: Implications and recommendations for trauma-informed practice

BackgroundThis analysis reported (1) interest in exercise programs made for women survivors of sexual violence (SV), (2) preferences for the structure and content of these programs, and (3) comparisons of interest and preferences by physical activity and PTSD. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among women aged 18–65, who had self-reported a history of SV, and were in the United States. Willingness to participate in exercise programs, and preferences for content and structure, were assessed and compared by PTSD and physical activity status. Results: Of 974 respondents, 528 met the inclusion criteria, and 355 met data quality requirements to be included in the analysis. Most women indicated they were interested (n = 197) or may be interested (n = 137) in exercise programs. Women with PTSD and who were active were most likely to be interested (p_s < 0.05; Cramer's V_s = 0.15–0.25). Women reported favoring exercising at home, alone or in group formats, and with female instructors. They also preferred moderate intensity, sessions lasting 30 min to an hour, 3–4 times per week. Insufficiently active survivors were more likely to prefer at home locations, low-moderate intensities, and shorter durations when compared to active survivors (p_s < 0.05; Cramer's V_s = 0.16–0.20). Women with PTSD were more likely to prefer at home options, with women instructors, moderate-high intensity, longer sessions, and longer program durations, compared to women without PTSD (p_s < 0.05; Cramer's V_s = 0.18–0.50). Top endorsed modes were walking, jogging, and yoga. Conclusion: Results add new knowledge on understanding best practices for integrating trauma-informed physical activity into trauma recovery programs for women survivors of SV.     

Trends in Gender-based Health Inequality in a Transitional Society: A Historical Analysis of South Korea

Objectives

This study examined the trends in gender disparity in the self-rated health of people aged 25 to 64 in South Korea, a rapidly changing society, with specific attention to socio-structural inequality.

Methods

Representative sample data were obtained from six successive, nationwide Social Statistics Surveys of the Korean National Statistical Office performed during 1992 to 2010.

Results

The results showed a convergent trend in poor self-rated health between genders since 1992, with a sharper decline in gender disparity observed in younger adults (aged 25 to 44) than in older adults (aged 45 to 64). The diminishing gender gap seemed to be attributable to an increase in women''s educational attainment levels and to their higher status in the labor market.

Conclusions

The study indicated the importance of equitable social opportunities for both genders for understanding the historical trends in the gender gap in the self-reported health data from South Korea.     

Modelling the effects of intimate partner violence and access to resources on women's health in the early years after leaving an abusive partner

Although the negative health effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) are well documented, little is known about the mechanisms or determinants of health outcomes for women who had left their abusive partners. Using data collected from a community sample of 309 Canadian women who left an abusive partner, we examined whether women's personal, social and economic resources mediate the relationships between the severity of past IPV and current health using structural equation modelling. A good fit was found between the model and data for hypothesized models of mental and physical health. In the mental health model, both the direct and total indirect effects of IPV were significant. In the physical health model, the direct effect of IPV on physical health was about four times as large as the total indirect effects. In both models, more severe past IPV was associated with lower health and women's personal, social, and economic resources, when combined, mediated the relationship between IPV and health. These findings demonstrate that the health outcomes of IPV for women who have left an abusive partner must be understood in context of women's resources.     

The Role of Major Donors in Health Aid to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

We investigated the major trends in health aid financing in the Democratic People''s Republic of Korea (DPRK) by identifying the primary donor organizations and examining several data sources to track overall health aid trends. We collected gross disbursements from bilateral donor countries and international organizations toward the DPRK according to specific health sectors by using the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development creditor reporting system database and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs financial tracking service database. We analyzed sources of health aid to the DPRK from the Republic of Korea (ROK) using the official records from the ROK''s Ministry of Unification. We identified the ROK, United Nations Children''s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) as the major donor entities not only according to their level of health aid expenditures but also their growing roles within the health sector of the DPRK. We found that health aid from the ROK is comprised of funding from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, private organizations, local governments, and South Korean branches of international organizations such as WHO and UNICEF. We also distinguished medical equipment aid from developmental aid to show that the majority of health aid from the ROK was developmental aid. This study highlights the valuable role of the ROK in the flow of health aid to the DPRK, especially in light of the DPRK''s precarious international status. Although global health aid from many international organizations has decreased, organizations such as GFATM and UNFPA continue to maintain their focus on reproductive health and infectious diseases.     

徐州市2576名女教师妇科疾病患病状况调查

目的了解女教师妇科常见疾病的患病情况，为预防妇科疾病提供参考。方法采用整群抽样法抽取徐州市4所大专院校已婚女教师2576人进行妇科检查。结果研究显示女教师所患妇科疾病的检出率由高到低的顺序依次为：乳腺增生（34．94％）、宫颈糜烂（10．75％）、子宫肌瘤（4．15％）、纳氏囊肿（2．56％）、宫颈息肉（1．55％）、念珠菌性阴道炎（1．15％）。31～50岁的女教师检出率最高，占总患病人次数的91．18％，其中31～40岁的女教师检出率为71．4％，41～50岁的妇女检出率为59．59％。且两年龄组的检出率差异有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。结论应加强31～50岁年龄段妇女常见妇科疾病的防治，提高生育期妇女的避孕保健服务质量。