Intimate partner sexual violence and risk for femicide, suicidality and substance use among women in antenatal care and general out-patients in Thailand

Abstract

BackgroundLittle is known about the occurrence and health consequences of intimate partner sexual assault. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and correlates of sexual assault in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Thailand.MethodsIn a cross-sectional survey adult female participants were systematically screened (self-administered or interview administered) for IPV in antenatal care and general outpatient clinics in nine randomly selected hospitals in two provinces in the central region. Measures included the Abuse Assessment Screen, Severity of Violence Against Women Scale, Danger assessment and suicidal behaviour.ResultsFrom 14,288 women screened, 1.5% were positive for IPV and 207 participated in the study. The mean age of the study participants was 26.8 years (SD = 9.3). Fifty-seven women, 27.5% of the sample, reported sexual assault, one or more times, during the relationship in the past 12 months. Most reported some form of psychological abuse (82.1%), physical violence (67.1%) and danger (72.0%). In all, 21.3% reported psychological, physical and sexual violence. Bivariate analyses found that older age, being recruited in the general out-patient department, greater number of children, high psychological abuse, high physical violence, danger and suicidal behaviour in the past 12 months were associated with sexual assault. In multivariable backward conditional logistic regression physical violence (OR = 5.32, CI = 2.52–11.24) and suicidal behaviour (OR = 3.28, CI = 1.37–7.83) were found to be associated with sexual assault.ConclusionsThe study found a moderate rate of sexual assault in intimate violent partner relationships and those sexual assaults are more likely to co-occur with physical intimate partner violence and suicidal behaviour. This knowledge may be helpful in the detection and management of sexual assault in intimate violent partner relationships of women in health care settings in Thailand.

A Critical Analysis of Intimate Partner Sexual Violence in Iran

“…In line with previous research findings (Issahaku, 2015;Hahm et al, 2017;Honda et al, 2018;Pengpid et al, 2018), these women who had experienced abusive relationships reported physical pain, a low level of self-esteem and self-worth, depression and trauma-related symptoms. A sense of disempowerment occurred in particular when they felt that there was nobody to help them and they had nowhere to go.…”

“…Participants in this research were exposed to several kinds of sexual violence including forced intercourse, unusual and/or uncomfortable sexual activities and requests, and being made to have feelings of risk and danger in their marital relationship. In line with national and global research findings (Fallah et al, 2015;Pengpid et al, 2018), participants disclosed a mixture of physical and emotional abuse while they were experiencing IPSV, leading to physical problems including pain and even abortion, and emotional problems such as feelings of disempowerment, dehumanization, being degraded, depression, and a sense of being worthless.…”

“…Intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) is grave in nature, and it can cause several mental and/or physical health problems or disabilities. Researchers have found that women who have experienced sexual violence by a partner might suffer from PTSD (Bennice et al, 2003;Kessler et al, 2017;Zakrison et al, 2017;Honda et al, 2018), depression (Davhana-Maselesele et al, 2014;Honda et al, 2018), anxiety (Jaquier et al, 2015;Honda et al, 2018), substance and alcohol abuse (Decker et al, 2014;Jaquier et al, 2015;Hahm et al, 2017;Pengpid et al, 2018), somatic symptoms (Honda et al, 2018), sleep problems (Issahaku, 2015), and suicidal ideation and/or attempt (Sedziafa et al, 2016;Honda et al, 2018;Pengpid et al, 2018). They might also experience an unwanted pregnancy, abortion, being infected with HIV, and experience other forms of physical issues such as facial injuries, physical weakness, hypertension, and genital problems (Sedziafa et al, 2016).…”

Binge-drinking and household role’s associations with prevalence of domestic violence: findings from the Thailand smoking and drinking behaviour survey 2017

“…Drinking serves as a symbol of masculine gender identity, and alcohol is used as a tool to justify men's IPV and violence against other family members [19]. Studies on domestic violence in Thailand in the literatures are all in the context of IPV in married or cohabitating heterosexual relationships [4,[20][21][22]. The prevalence of lifetime experience of IPV in Thailand varied from 16% in a survey of 1444 women in 4 provinces in 4 regions [20] to 27% in a survey of 580 women in seven Bangkok slums [4].…”

“…The prevalence of lifetime experience of IPV in Thailand varied from 16% in a survey of 1444 women in 4 provinces in 4 regions [20] to 27% in a survey of 580 women in seven Bangkok slums [4]. The prevalence of IPV in the past 12 months was 1.5% among women in a hospital-based crosssectional study [21]. The definitions of IPV in these mentioned studies included acts of psychological, physical and sexual violence.…”