title: Risk factors for violence against women by intimate partners in Sakarya, Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important public health problem in many countries including Turkey, with serious short- and long-term physical and mental health consequences, as well as significant social and public health costs. To understand the violence characteristics and the individual risk factors for both the married women victims and the perpetrator partners are the objectives of this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  243 married women, who have consulted to hospitals and village clinics between 2008 and 2009 with the mean age of 36.76 (SD = 11.59), accepted to participate in the study voluntarily. Participants were divided into two groups as "victimized" (58.8%, n = 143) and "non-victimized" (41.2%, n = 100) women. Victimized group consisted of women who have had any type of violence from their husbands during their life. A 61-item questionnaire was prepared that included items on demographics, IPV experience, attitudes about IPV and knowledge of legal rights.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As compared to non-victimized group, women in victimized group mostly lived in villages than in town/city centers, were illiterate, had bride-price agreement and were younger when married. Place of accommodation, age and number of pregnancies were associated with the risk of victimization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In order to prevent IPV, further qualitative research is required to evaluate the involved risk factors and training programs on how to behave against violence in association with the legal rights should be designed for poorly educated women in their natural settings and hospitals.
authors.affiliation: Bigadiç Public Hospital, Fethibey Mh., Karlıca Tepesi, 10440 Bigadiç, Balıkesir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Güler
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ağçay
authors.affiliation: Marmara University, Department of Medical Education, Istanbul Başıbüyük Mah. Maltepe Başıbüyük Yolu Sok. No: 9/1 Maltepe, İstanbul, 34854, Turkey. Electronic address: yildiz.sinem@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sinem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yildiz Inanici
authors.affiliation: Kocaeli University, Department of Forensic Medicine, 41380, Umuttepe, Kocaeli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Başar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Çolak
authors.affiliation: Marmara University, Department of Forensic Medicine, Fevzi Çakmak Mah. Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu Cad. No: 10 Üst Kaynarca, Pendik, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Akif
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: İnanici
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000067010:Literacy; D008297:Male; D010298:Parity; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Intimate partner violence; Prediction; Risk factors