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Ciencia & Saude Coletiva Nov 2023The scope of this study was to highlight what has been discussed about addressing violence against children and adolescents in the context of the Family Health Strategy... (Review)
Review
The scope of this study was to highlight what has been discussed about addressing violence against children and adolescents in the context of the Family Health Strategy in the scientific literature. It involved an integrative review of the literature, conducted in the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline), Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (LILACS), Web of Science and American Psychological Association (PsycINFO) databases. In the survey, the controlled descriptors in Health Sciences (DeCS) and the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) were used, including domestic violence, child abuse, educational technology and primary health care for DeCS and MeSH. A total of 2,403 results were obtained, with the application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 15 articles were analyzed. Violence has been seen as a public health problem, being identified as a sensitive problem in PHC. Despite the identification of cases of violence against children and adolescents in the FHS, the lack of preparedness of professionals and the fragility in the coping network prejudice the adequate care for this public. Thus, there is a need to strengthen the network available and encourage the capacity building and training of professionals working in PHC.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Child; Family Health; Domestic Violence; Child Abuse; Public Health; Adaptation, Psychological
PubMed: 37971007
DOI: 10.1590/1413-812320232811.09662021 -
BMC Women's Health Oct 2023As part of efforts to prevent violence against women, several countries have institutionalized formal support services including legislations to prevent, protect...
BACKGROUND
As part of efforts to prevent violence against women, several countries have institutionalized formal support services including legislations to prevent, protect victims, and deter perpetrators of domestic violence (DV). Prior research on formal support service utilization shows that DV survivors do not get the necessary services they deserve. However, much remains to be known about the experiences of women survivors of DV who accessed a range of formal support services and how their experiences (dis)empowered them. Here, we assessed the experiences of Ghanaian women survivors of DV with formal support services vis-à-vis the provisions of the Ghana DV Act and insights of subject experts.
METHODS
From May to August 2018, we recruited a total of 28 participants: 21 women survivors of DV in Weija-Gbawe Municipality of Ghana, and 7 experts from the police, human rights, and health professions. We used two sets of in-depth interview guides: one to collect data on survivors' experiences, and the second for the insights of experts. We performed summary descriptive statistics on survivors' sociodemographic characteristics and used thematic analysis to assess their experiences of DV; and access to, patronage, and response of formal support services.
RESULTS
Of 21 DV survivors, 19 (90.1%) were aware of the existence of the DV law, however none was well informed of their entitlements. DV survivors have low formal education and are not economically empowered. Some DV survivors are revictimized in the process of accessing formal services. DV survivors expect the government to provide them with shelter, upkeep, medical, and legal aid. All the 21 survivors had at least one contact with a women's rights organization and were knowledgeable of their supporting services namely legal services, temporary shelter, and psychosocial support.
CONCLUSIONS
The experiences of DV survivors do not reflect the legal provisions of Ghana's DV Act. Government under funding of formal services and negative gender norms are disempowering to survivors. NGOs are popular among women survivors of DV in Ghana for the education, legal, and material support they provide. A close collaboration between the government and NGOs could better mitigate DV in Ghana.
Topics: Humans; Female; Ghana; Domestic Violence; Women's Rights; Survivors; Educational Status
PubMed: 37848884
DOI: 10.1186/s12905-023-02678-5 -
Domestic violence experienced by women with multiple sclerosis: a study from the North-East of Iran.BMC Women's Health Jul 2022Violence against women is a significant health and legal problem and has been declared as a health priority by the World Health Organization. The most common type of...
INTRODUCTION
Violence against women is a significant health and legal problem and has been declared as a health priority by the World Health Organization. The most common type of violence against women is domestic violence, more prevalent against women with disabilities than other women. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating neurological disease and has experienced sudden growth in Iran. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of domestic violence and its various types (psychological, economic, physical, and sexual) experienced by women with MS.
METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, 275 married women with MS were selected using convenience sampling. After obtaining informed consent and reviewing the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the Domestic Violence against Women Questionnaire developed by Mohseni Tabrizi et al. was completed by the participants on a self-report basis. The results were analyzed using SPSS software version 16. To analyze data, statistical tests including chi-square and Fisher exact tests for univariate analysis and logistic regression, were employed.
RESULTS
The mean age of participants was 37.12 ± 8.48 years. Domestic violence in different forms of psychological, economic, physical, and sexual violence was present in 53.1%, 63%, 33.6%, and 20.4% of participants, respectively. Economic violence (33.8%) was the highest, and sexual violence (5.1%) was the lowest rate of severe violence among participants. There was a significant relationship between the overall rate of domestic violence and the variables including income (P = 0.013), spouse's income (P = 0.001), participant's job (P = 0.036) and participant's education (P = 0.001). In logistic regression, the overall rate of domestic violence was higher in participants with education less than a diploma than in participants with a diploma (P = 0.014) and participants with a university education (P = 0.016).
CONCLUSION
According to the results, providing opportunities such as promoting the social status of women, fulfilling the rights of women with disabilities and debilitating diseases such as MS in society is recommended. Additionally, educating men about the negative impact of domestic violence on the current and future status of the family seems necessary. Providing counseling facilities on various forms of violence, especially domestic violence, for women with MS, is also recommended.
Topics: Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Domestic Violence; Female; Humans; Iran; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Sclerosis; Prevalence; Spouse Abuse
PubMed: 35909119
DOI: 10.1186/s12905-022-01905-9 -
International Journal of Environmental... Feb 2023The COVID-19 pandemic left no one untouched, and reports of domestic violence (DV) increased during the crisis. DV victims rarely seek professional help, yet when they...
The COVID-19 pandemic left no one untouched, and reports of domestic violence (DV) increased during the crisis. DV victims rarely seek professional help, yet when they do so, they often disclose it to their general practitioner (GP), with whom they have a trusting relationship. GPs rarely screen and hence rarely take the initiative to discuss DV with patients, although victims indicate that offering this opportunity would facilitate their disclosure. This paper aims to describe the frequency of screening for DV by GPs and disclosure of DV by patients to the GP during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify key elements that could potentially explain differences in screening for and disclosure of DV. The PRICOV-19 data of 4295 GP practices from 33 countries were included in the analyses, with practices nested in countries. Two stepwise forward clustered ordinal logistic regressions were performed. Only 11% of the GPs reported (much) more disclosure of DV by patients during COVID-19, and 12% reported having screened for DV (much). Most significant associations with screening for and disclosure of DV concerned general (pro)active communication. However, (pro)active communication was performed less frequently for DV than for health conditions, which might indicate that GPs are insufficiently aware of the general magnitude of DV and its impact on patients and society, and its approach/management. Thus, professional education and training for GPs about DV seems highly and urgently needed.
Topics: Humans; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disclosure; Pandemics; Mass Screening; COVID-19; Domestic Violence
PubMed: 36834213
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043519 -
The Medical Journal of Malaysia Mar 2024Domestic violence (DV) is a pervasive social and public health issue affecting millions globally, regardless of age, gender or socioeconomic background. Understanding... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
INTRODUCTION
Domestic violence (DV) is a pervasive social and public health issue affecting millions globally, regardless of age, gender or socioeconomic background. Understanding victim and perpetrators' characteristics as well as the DV injury patterns are essential for developing targeted interventions and prevention strategies. Although past DV studies have often focused on female victims, it is increasingly recognised that DV affects a significant proportion of male victims as well. This study aimed to comprehensively examine both male and female DV victims and perpetrators, as well as the anatomical regions affected in DV cases in Kuching, Sarawak, so that a deeper understanding of DV within this community can be enhanced.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This prospective, observational study was conducted from March 2021 to March 2023, involving adult DV victims aged 18 years and above admitted to the One Stop Crisis Center (OSCC) of Sarawak General Hospital. Data were collected from the OSCC clerking sheet, focusing on the victims, perpetrators and the violence characteristics.
RESULTS
A total of 133 DV victims were analysed, with 25.6% being male victims. Although majority of the perpetrators in cases involving male victims were male perpetrators, there was a significantly higher number of female perpetrators in these male DV cases (i.e., 5 out of 34 cases,14.7%) compared to in female DV cases (4 out of 99 cases, 4.0%) (p = 0.05). The commonest type of relationship between the victims and perpetrators was spouses or ex-spouses (56.4%). Male victims had more cases involving weapons (67.6%) compared to female victims (26.3%), p < 0.001. The most affected anatomical region was the head and neck (63.9%) region although no significant differences were observed.
CONCLUSION
The study reveals that DV affects individuals across all societal classes and income groups. Although weapons were used more frequently in male DV cases, other injury characteristics and affected anatomical regions were not significantly different between genders, suggesting female perpetrators can inflict similar injuries as male perpetrators. Subgroup analysis showed that the majority of male victims faced abuse from their children or grandchildren, hinting at hidden geriatric abuse, that should be unmasked and treated as a separate entity.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Crime Victims; Domestic Violence; Malaysia; Prospective Studies
PubMed: 38553915
DOI: No ID Found -
BMC Oral Health Jul 2023Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) is a persistent public health problem in the UK. Healthcare settings offer an opportunity to ask patients about DVA, either...
BACKGROUND
Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) is a persistent public health problem in the UK. Healthcare settings offer an opportunity to ask patients about DVA, either opportunistically or in response to the presence of injuries. However, it has been suggested that dental practices and dental teams have not been actively involved supporting adult patients when presenting with injuries that might have resulted from DVA. This qualitative study was conducted to satisfy the evaluative component of the Dentistry Responding in Domestic Violence and Abuse (DRiDVA) feasibility study.
METHODS
In total, 30 participants took part in the study; nine associate dentists and practice principals/owners took part in one-to-one interviews and 21 auxiliary staff took part across two focus group discussion sessions. Data were analysed using the seven step Framework Analysis process.
RESULT
Three key themes were identified from the data, focusing on barriers to enquiring about domestic violence and abuse, Facilitators of identification and referral of DVA in dental settings, and recommendations for further adaptation of intervention to dental settings.
CONCLUSION
DVA training coupled with robust referral pathways to a named specialist DVA advocate increases knowledge and awareness of the signs of DVA and confidence in making onward referrals. Further research is needed to understand how to increase dental professional willingness to ask patients about DVA.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Feasibility Studies; Domestic Violence; Public Health; Dentists; Dentistry
PubMed: 37438748
DOI: 10.1186/s12903-023-03059-y -
European Journal of Public Health Oct 2021Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant problem with several negative health outcomes. Disasters are linked to increased IPV, but little is known about... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant problem with several negative health outcomes. Disasters are linked to increased IPV, but little is known about reporting of and strategies to address IPV during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review maps the IPV reporting during the pandemic and interventions to prevent and respond to IPV in 11 Western and Southern European countries.
METHODS
Government websites, news articles and pre-prints were searched using the terms 'domestic violence' or 'violence' in combination with 'Covid' or 'Corona'. Embase, PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched using the terms 'domestic violence' and 'partner violence' and 'interventions'.
RESULTS
Six countries showed an increase in domestic violence reports (Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Spain and UK), two countries a drop (Italy and Portugal), two countries showed no change (The Netherlands and Switzerland) and one country did not provide comparative data (Germany). Common measures to address IPV were starting a campaign (nine countries), creating online support (seven), more funding for alternative accommodation (seven) and support (eight) and use of a code word (four).
CONCLUSIONS
IPV reports or helpline calls in Western and Southern European countries in the first weeks of COVID-19 measures increased in six countries, remained the same in two countries and showed a decrease in two countries. While this review cannot ascertain the impact of the measures taken by the countries during the pandemic and beyond, this mapping provides a foundation for future research, and an opportunity to trace the efficacy of these strategies.
Topics: COVID-19; Domestic Violence; Humans; Intimate Partner Violence; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 34406373
DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckab093 -
International Journal For Equity in... Apr 2023Australian data has indicated that the frequency and severity of family and domestic violence (FDV) tends to increase with remoteness. Rural communities rely on...
BACKGROUND
Australian data has indicated that the frequency and severity of family and domestic violence (FDV) tends to increase with remoteness. Rural communities rely on Emergency Departments (ED) within public hospitals for general health and safety needs. Public health departments within Australia are strongly influenced by Government policies which can define 'health problems' and limit institutional responses to patients presenting with FDV. The current study therefore aimed to critically examine FDV Australian Government policies to explore how policy meanings could potentially impact on ED staff and individuals within rural communities.
METHODS
Foucauldian Discourse Analysis and Policy Narrative Analysis were used to examine 9 policy documents which represented national, state/territory and clinical practice levels. Publication dates ranged from 2006 to 2020.
RESULTS
A total of 8 discourses were identified, with each one providing a unique construction of the target problem and determining the potential agency of health professionals and subjects of FDV. Discourses combined to produce an overall narrative within each policy document. Narrative constructions of the target problem were compared which produced three narrative themes: 1) Deficit Subject Narratives; 2) Object Oriented Narratives; and 3) Societal Narratives.
CONCLUSION
The results reflected a transition in the meaning of FDV within Australian society and over the past decade, with policies trending away from Deficit Subject Narratives and towards Object Oriented or Societal Narratives. Institutional systems, sociohistorical context and broader societal movements may have shaped this transition by stagnating policy meanings or introducing new insights that expanded the possibilities of understanding and action. Narratives produced assumptions which significantly altered the relevance and agency of individuals and groups when applied to a rural ED setting. As FDV was moved out of the clinical space and into the public domain, the agency of health professionals was reduced, while the values and strengths of FDV subjects and rural communities were potentially recognised. Later policies provided contextual specificity and meaning fluidity that could benefit diverse groups within rural areas; however, the expectation for ED staff to learn from their communities and challenge institutionalised approaches to FDV requires careful consideration in relation to rural hospital systems and resources.
Topics: Humans; Australia; Rural Population; Domestic Violence; Policy; Emergency Service, Hospital
PubMed: 37038155
DOI: 10.1186/s12939-023-01873-y -
JAMA Network Open Sep 2021Domestic violence (DV) has become a growing public health concern during the COVID-19 pandemic because individuals may be sheltering in place with abusers and facing...
IMPORTANCE
Domestic violence (DV) has become a growing public health concern during the COVID-19 pandemic because individuals may be sheltering in place with abusers and facing mounting economic and health-related stresses.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze associations of the 2020 COVID-19 stay-at-home (SH) order with DV police reporting and resource availability, including differences by community area racial/ethnic composition.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This longitudinal cohort study assessed DV police reports (January-June 2020) obtained from the Chicago, Illinois, Police Department and DV resource availability (March and August 2020) obtained from the NowPow community resource database, both for 77 community areas in Chicago. Data were analyzed July through December 2020.
EXPOSURES
The COVID-19 SH order effective March 21, 2020.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Monthly rates of DV police reports and DV resource availability per 100 000 persons.
RESULTS
Of 77 community areas in Chicago, 28 (36.4%) were majority Black, 19 (24.7%) majority Hispanic/Latinx, 18 (23.4%) majority White, and 12 (15.6%) a different or no majority race/ethnicity, representing an estimated population of 2 718 555 individuals. For each community area, the SH order was associated with a decrease in the rate of DV police reports by 21.8 (95% CI, -30.48 to -13.07) crimes per 100 000 persons per month relative to the same months in 2019. Compared with White majority community areas, Black majority areas had a decrease in the rate of DV police reports by 40.8 (95% CI, -62.93 to -18.75) crimes per 100 000 persons per month relative to the same months in 2019. The SH order was also associated with a decrease in DV resource availability at a rate of 5.1 (95% CI, -7.55 to -2.67) resources per 100 000 persons, with the largest decreases for mental health (-4.3 [95% CI, -5.97 to -2.66] resources per 100 000 persons) and personal safety (-2.4 [95% CI, -4.40 to -0.41] resources per 100 000 persons). The Black majority south side of Chicago had a larger decrease in resource availability (-6.7 [95% CI, -12.92 to -0.46] resources per 100 000 persons) than the White majority north side.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In this longitudinal cohort study, the rate of DV police reports decreased after the SH order was implemented in Chicago. This decrease was largely observed in Black majority communities, whereas there was no significant change in White majority communities. These findings may reflect decreased DV incidence but may also reflect an exacerbation of underreporting. In addition, DV resource availability decreased disproportionately on the predominantly Black south side of Chicago.
Topics: Adult; COVID-19; Chicago; Communicable Disease Control; Domestic Violence; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Pandemics; Police; Residence Characteristics; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 34473260
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.22260 -
Interviewing Male Survivors of Sexual Violence and Abuse: Ethical and Methodological Considerations.Journal of Interpersonal Violence Jan 2023Existing research explores ethical and methodological considerations associated with interviewing men, including male survivors of domestic abuse, and interviewing...
Existing research explores ethical and methodological considerations associated with interviewing men, including male survivors of domestic abuse, and interviewing female survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. However, there is no comparable body of research that specifically considers interviewing male survivors of sexual violence and abuse. Reflecting upon our experiences of interviewing 32 male survivors of female-perpetrated sexual violence, we critically discuss four key ethical and methodological issues that arose; the challenges around recruiting male survivor participants; the interview process; the impacts of gender dynamics between interviewers and participants; and the importance of research to participants. Based on our reflections we make a number of recommendations for scholars who are conducting future research with male survivors of sexual violence and abuse.
Topics: Male; Humans; Female; Sex Offenses; Survivors; Morals; Gender Identity; Domestic Violence
PubMed: 35531857
DOI: 10.1177/08862605221093683