title: Help-seeking behaviour of Serbian women who experienced intimate partner violence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to identify whom women in Serbia approach for help in case of intimate partner violence (IPV), their reasons for seeking help and their satisfaction with the received help.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional, population-based household survey of a random sample of women aged 15-49 years was conducted in Belgrade (WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women). A standard questionnaire was administered by trained interviewers through face-to-face interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The questionnaire was completed by 1456 women and 1196 of them ever had an intimate partner. Almost one in four ever-partnered women reported experiencing either physical and/or sexual violence, at least once in their life. Among these abused women, ≈ 22% had ever sought help from formal institutions. Police and health services were most commonly approached (12% and 10% of abused women, respectively). Satisfaction with services was highest for health services and legal advice and lowest for police and social services. Women sought help especially when violence had a severe impact on them or when they saw that their children suffered. Women who did not seek help stated that they believed that the violence was bearable or had ended. Other reasons for not seeking help were fear of undesirable consequences of seeking help and lack of trust in institutions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From the abused women's perspective, health care services are the institutions with the highest potential to help women in cases of IPV. Developing a comprehensive health sector response is of critical importance to ensure appropriate care and referral.
authors: Institute of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia. bosiljka.djikanovic@mfub.bg.ac.rs
authors: Bosiljka
authors: B
authors: Djikanović
authors: Sylvie Lo Fo
authors: SL
authors: Wong
authors: Henrica A F M
authors: HA
authors: Jansen
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Koso
authors: Snezana
authors: S
authors: Simić
authors: Stanislava
authors: S
authors: Otasević
authors: Antoine
authors: A
authors: Lagro-Janssen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D055771:Serbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires