Author/Editor		Selič, Polona; Pesjak, Katja; Kersnik, Janko
Title		The prevalence of exposure to domestic violence and the factors associated with Co-occurrence of psychological and physical violence exposure: a sample from primary care patients
Type		članek
Source		BMC Public Health
Vol. and No.		Letnik 11, št. 1
Publication year		2011
Volume		str. 621
Language		eng
Abstract		Background: Since many health problems are associated with abuse and neglect at all ages, domestic violence victims may be considered as a group of primary care patients in need of special attention. Methods: The aim of this multi-centre study was to assess the prevalence of domestic violence in primary care patients, and to identify those factors which influence the co-occurrence of psychological and physical violence exposure and their consequences (physical, sexual and reproductive and psychological) as obtained from medical records. A study was carried out in 28 family practices in Slovenia in 2009. Twenty-eight family physicians approached every fifth family practice attendee, regardless of gender, to be interviewed about their exposure to domestic violence and asked to specify the perpetrator and the frequency. Out of 840 patients asked, 829 individuals, 61.0% women (n = 506) and 39.0% men (n = 323) were assessed (98.7% response rate). They represented a randomised sample of general practice attendees, aged 18 years and above, who had visited their physician for health problems and who were given a physical examination. Visits for administrative purposes were excluded. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with exposure to both psychological and physical violence. Results: Of 829 patients, 15.3% reported some type of domestic violence experienced during the previous five years; 5.9% reported physical and 9.4% psychological violence; of these 19.2% of men and 80.8% of women had been exposed to psychological violence, while 22.4% of men and 77.6% of women had been exposed to physical violence. The domestic violence victims were mostly women (p<0.001) aged up to 35 years (p=0.001). Exposure to psychological violence was more prevalent than exposure to physical violence. Of the women, 20.0% were exposed to either type of violence, compared to 8. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters)
Descriptors		PRIMARY HEALTH CARE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE MEDICAL RECORDS FAMILY PRACTICE PHYSICAL EXAMINATION SEX FACTORS QUESTIONNAIRES MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS MULTICENTER STUDIES