Prevalence of intimate partner violence and its association with symptoms of depression; a cross-sectional study based on a female population sample in Sweden

Abstract

BackgroundIntimate Partner Violence (IPV) is the most common type of violence targeting women. IPV includes acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviors and these forms of violence often coexist in the same relationship. Living with IPV is associated with serious mental health outcomes such as depression and depressive symptoms. Few population based studies from Sweden have investigated the relationship between different forms of IPV and women’s depressive symptoms and even fewer used controlling behavior as an independent variable in such studies. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the prevalence of exposure to IPV in terms of controlling behavior, sexual, and physical violence and their association with self-reported symptoms of depression in a female population based sample.MethodsThe cross-sectional, population based sample contained 573 women aged 18–65 years randomly selected in Sweden. Five self-reported symptoms that define depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders were assessed. Physical and sexual violence were inquired about using the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Violence Against Women Instrument (VAWI), while controlling behavior was assessed with the Controlling Behavior Scale (CBS). Associations between different forms of IPV and symptoms of depression were estimated by crude and adjusted odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsBivariable associations revealed that women exposed to controlling behavior, had higher OR of depressive symptoms compared to unexposed women (OR 2.43; 95% CI 1.63–3.63). Women exposed to physical and sexual violence had also a higher OR of depressive symptoms (OR 3.78; 95% CI 1.99–7.17 and OR 5.10; 95% CI 1.74–14.91 respectively). After adjusting for socio-demographic and psychosocial covariates, all three forms of IPV showed statistically significant associations with self-reported symptoms of depression.ConclusionsA strength with this study is the analysis of controlling behavior and its association with self-reported symptoms of depression in a female population based sample. Exposure to controlling behavior, physical and sexual violence by an intimate partner were clearly associated with women’s self-reported symptoms of depression.

Psychological Harm in Women Victims of Intimate Partner Violence: Epidemiology and Quantification of Injury in Mental Health Markers

“…Second, the sample was composed almost exclusively by women reporting gender violence or gender violence reported by a third party (cases of severe violence), but excluded women who had not reported their aggressor as a result of the psychological injury itself or for other reasons (Boira, Carbajosa, & Méndez, 2016). Third, the victims of the present study were simultaneously victims of physical and psychological violence as confirmed by the legal judgements (besides being victims of economic or sexual violence, regardless as to whether it was cited or not in the legal judgement), and both are the most common manifestations of gender violence (Lövestad, Löve, Vaez, & Krantz, 2017;Novo, Herbón, & Amado, 2016), that is, mixed violence leading to greater injury to health (Fernández-González, Calvete, & Orue, 2017;Hegarty et al, 2012), whilst in other manifestations of violence injury may have less of an impact (Moral, García, Cuetos, & Sirvent, 2017). Fourth, the measures of injury to health overlapped with the most relevant dimensions of mental health and the most frequent clinical diagnoses (the SCL-90-R was designed on the basis of the DSM), without evaluating directly disorders related to secondary traces of psychological violence such as impulsive or sexual disorders, and those related to drug abuse (Dillon, Hussain, Loxton, & Rahman, 2012;Fariña et al, 2014).…”

What about the Male Victims? Exploring the Impact of Gender Stereotyping on Implicit Attitudes and Behavioural Intentions Associated with Intimate Partner Violence

“…Consequently, research has been dedicated to understanding this gender asymmetry, focusing largely on the historically and socially constructed influence of patriarchy in allowing men to control and dominate their female partners (Fisher, 2013;Sugarman & Frankel, 1996;Walsh, Spangaro, & Soldatic, 2015). Indeed, statistics gathered from clinical samples (e.g., men in prisons, women in shelters) indicate that most victims of IPV are women (Johnson 1995(Johnson , 2006Lövestad, Löve, Vaez, & Krantz, 2017).…”

Violência contra a mulher

“…In this context, research points to the difficulties in attending to victims of violence, mainly sexual, especially regarding the collection of information for completing the notification form and unprepared professionals. 20 With Law 12,845 / 2013, it is compulsory and integral to provide assistance to victims of sexual violence, with immediate and multiprofessional care, including diagnosis and treatment of lesions, DNA collection, HIV testing, prophylaxis for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. 19 The majority of male aggressors refer to male domination and cannot forget that, in Western societies, the conception of gender is linked to rules that shaped the social status that the subject occupies in the productive and reproductive system 21 .…”

“…The absence or incomplete completion of the notification forms, especially in the emergency services, may be a consequence of the overload of professionals, and not everyone is aware of the importance of notification as a management tool in helping to create public policies, important knowledge so that the notification form is not regarded as an unnecessary obligation. 20 On the other hand, the large number of ignored data may be related to non-disclosure by the victim. Nurses report that women are afraid to report situations of domestic violence and that the creation of a bond, based on trust, becomes important in this type of care.…”