Prevalence of exposure to violence among adults – Brazil, 2019

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of exposure to violence, characterizing its magnitude, types and occurrence in the adult population in Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional study with data from the National Health Survey conducted in 2019. The prevalence of violence in the last 12 months and respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were estimated according to sociodemographic variables. Crude prevalence ratios were estimated by Poisson regression. Results: The prevalence of exposure to violence among adults in Brazil was 18.3% (95%CI 17.8–18.8), with a significantly higher frequency among women (19.4%; 95%CI 18.7–20.0), in the 18–29 age group (27.0%; 95%CI 25.7–28.4), in self-declared black people (20.6%; 95%CI 19.3–21.9) and mixed race (19.3%; 95%CI 18.6–20.1) and among inhabitants of the Northeast region (18.7%; 95%CI 18.0–19.5). Among the victims of violence, 15.6% (95%CI 14.2–17.0) sought health care, of which (91.2%; 95%CI 88.1–93.6) were attended. The most reported types of violence were: psychological (17.4%; 95%CI 16.9–17.9), physical (4.1%; 95%CI 3.9–4.4) and sexual (0.8%; 95%CI 0.7–0.9). Men were more exposed to violence with the use of firearms or sharp targets, while women were the predominant victims for all other types and mechanisms of violence. The aggressor most cited was the intimate partner, the most frequent place of occurrence of violence being the residence and public streets/places. Conclusion: In Brazil, violence affected one in five adults. Women, young people and people with black skin were the population segments most exposed to violence, which should be a priority in prevention actions.

Características de homens e mulheres autores de violência sexual: uma revisão de escopo

“…Mulheres vítimas de VS apontaram atos como penetração vaginal (51,5%), anal (3,1%) e oral (2,1%) (Santarem et al, 2020). Outro estudo aponta que a violência sexual contra os homens foi manifestada mais comumente por meio de toque, manipulação ou beijos forçados (89,3%); a prática de relações sexuais forçadas foi mais frequente entre as mulheres (57,1%) (Mascarenhas et al, 2021).…”

Excess suicides in Brazil during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic: Gender, regional and age group inequalities

“…A nationally representative Brazilian survey carried out in 2019 showed high levels of exposure to violence in the previous 12 months among adult women when compared with their male counterparts, mainly psychological (offense, humiliation or ridicule and yelling or cursing) and physical violence (slapping and shoving with intention to hurt) (Mascarenhas et al, 2021). Despite the higher prevalence of physical violence in the North region when compared to the South region, the North region has shown a lower proportion of adults who sought health care (Mascarenhas et al, 2021). Finally, Mascarenhas et al (2021) also suggest that intimate partners were the main perpetrators of psychological, physical, and sexual violence, aside from the household being the main place of occurrence.…”

Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic inequalities in depression prevalence and the treatment gap in Brazil: A decomposition analysis

“…Policies aiming to reduce exposure of lower-income individuals to risk factors might have a positive impact on mental health and mental health inequalities. Brazil has the highest prevalence of insufficient physical activity in Latin America and the Caribbean ( Guthold et al, 2018 ) and exposure to violence is highly prevalent and a major public health concern ( Mascarenhas et al, 2021 ; Reichenheim et al, 2011 ). In Brazil, exposure to violence is intertwined with socioeconomic inequalities – it is higher in cities that are more segregated spatially (i.e., where higher-income and lower-income individuals tend to live in different areas) ( Santos et al, 2021 ).…”