Domestic Sexual Violence and Sexual Problems Among Gynecology Outpatients: An Example from Turkey

Abstract

Domestic violence is a universal problem, and sexual violence in marriage, in particular, is a hidden form of it. This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted to determine to the prevalence of domestic sexual violence by husbands, the prevalence of sexual problems, and the relation of these among married women attending a gynecology outpatient clinic. This study was performed in a university hospital in Turkey and data were collected February-April 2009. The study sample consisted of 200 married women, 53% of whom reported having been exposed to at least one type of domestic sexual violence behaviors by their husbands. Among those behaviors, the rate of marital rape was 33%. The frequency of experiencing any sexual problem was 82%. Women expressed that they mostly had orgasmic problems, and their husbands had premature ejaculation problems. The majority of women who reported sexual violence reported experiencing sexual problems; the frequency of sexual problems was higher in the participants who did (94.3%) than in those who did not report (68.1%) sexual violence (p < .001). Bad sexual harmony (Odds ratio [OR] = 13.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.87-47.01) and experiencing sexual problems (OR = 12.67, 95% CI = 3.78-42.35) were strongly related to sexual violence in marriage. The results also revealed that the prevalence of sexual violence and sexual problems among those married women who attended gynecology clinics was considerable, even though they did not report this to the health care provider as a problem.

Determination of the Factors Affecting Sexual Violence against Women in Turkey: A Population-Based Analysis

“…Sexual violence is a type of domestic violence and mostly emerges in marriage or intimate partnership scenarios [6]. Sexual violence against women and intimate partner violence is a problem that has a serious impact on the health and welfare of a great number of women from all around the world.…”

“…As an effect of tradition and religious norms in Turkey, it is believed that violence, sexuality, and similar domestic matters should be immune to intervention. Since women widely hold the belief that, in marriage, the sexual needs of men must be met, they do not consider acts of sexual violence as criminal acts and never speak openly about these acts anywhere, let alone to judicial authorities [6].…”

The correlation between sexual dysfunction and intimate partner violence in young women during pregnancy

“…In the study conducted by Hastuti et al on women of reproductive age in Indonesia, it was indicated that women who experience intimate partner violence were four times more likely to show sexual dysfunction [13]. In addition, Ipekten Alaman and Yildiz in Turkey reported that women who experience IPV show more sexual dysfunction, and suffer specially from orgasm disorder [39]. In Iran, Jamali et al showed that increased IPV led to sexual dysfunction [14].…”

“…Results of their study comply with the results of the present study. Ipekten Alaman and Yildiz reported that when women were passive in terms of sexuality or when their husbands were not sexually satisfied, their husbands violence behaviors increased, and women expressed that they occasionally had sexual intercourse unwillingly since they were afraid of their spouse's violent reactions [39]. In general, the inability to respond sexual needs plays an important role in the couple's dissatisfaction.…”

Evlilik İçi Cinsel Saldırı Olgularını Ruhsal Bulgular Olmadan Tespit Etmek Mümkün mü?

“…Evlilik içi cinsel saldırılarda diğer cinsel saldırılara göre bu oranın daha da düşük olduğu bildirilmiştir (4,5). Başvuru yapan olguların adli tıp açısından özel olduğu düşünülmektedir.…”