[An epidemiological study on domestic violence in Hunan, China].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of domestic violence (DV) in Hunan.


METHODS
Using a multi-stage sampling strategy, 9451 households involving 32 720 persons in urban, rural and industrial areas in Hunan, China were studied. Multiform clue investigation and face-to-face interviews were combined to investigate the prevalence of DV.


RESULTS
A lifetime prevalence of DV was reported by 1533 households (16.2%). A total of 1098 households (11.6%) reported at least one incident of DV in the previous year. Both lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DV varied significantly by geographic setting (P < 0.01). The lifetime prevalence abuse rates were: spousal 10.2%, child abuse 7.8%, and elder 1.5%. With regard to household structure, the lifetime prevalence of DV was highest among those remarried families (21.0%), followed by married couples with one child and extended families with several generations living together (20.1% and 20.0%, respectively). The highest rate of spousal abuse was found among remarried families (14.7%), while child and elder abuse was most prevalent among extended families (12.4% and 4.1%, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggested that although the prevalence of DV in Hunan was modest compared to Western countries, it remained a serious public health problem affecting over 1 in 10 households. Furthermore, the prevalence of various types of DV varied by geographic setting and family structure, suggesting that diverse geographic setting and family constellations carried different risk and protective features.
Cao
Yu-ping
YP
Mental Health Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
Zhang
Ya-lin
YL
Sun
Sheng-qi
SQ
Guo
Guo-yi
GY
Li
Yu-cheng
YC
Yuan
Ding
D
Yang
Shi-chang
SC
Zhong
Shi
S
Peng
Yan-wei
YW
Li
Li-jie
LJ
Zhang
Guang-ning
GN
Wang
Guo-qiang
GQ
Xiao
Min
M
Tian
Ji-ping
JP
Jiang
Li-hong
LH
Shi
Jian-wei
JW
Zhu
Yu-hua
YH
Huang
Zhen
Z
Xiao
Jian-wu
JW
Luo
Xia-sheng
XS
Wang
Guan-jun
GJ
Huang
Guo-ping
GP
Li
Jian-guang
JG
D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004552:Elder Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005190:Family; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009863:Only Child; D015995:Prevalence; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*