title: Prevalence and factors associated with intimate partner violence among women in Recife/Pernambuco, Brazil.
abstract: Intimate partner violence is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among women. Although there are no official statistics, data reveal a high prevalence worldwide. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with intimate partner violence among women in a community in Recife, Pernambuco. A cross-sectional cohort study was conducted with 245 women in the 15 to 49-year age bracket. A questionnaire with sociodemographic variables was used, together with the WHO Violence Against Women (VAW) study tools and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). The participants all signed an informed consent form. The prevalence of intimate partner violence was classified by type of violence: emotional - 52.7%; physical - 46.1 %; and sexual - 13.6%. Bivariate analysis revealed an association between experiencing violence with not having a partner (p = 0.001) and drug use (p ≤ 0.001). In multivariate analysis, the variables were strongly associated with the outcome: sexual intercourse for fear (OR 5.58); depressive-anxious mood (OR 2.69); drug use (OR 2.57). A high prevalence of intimate partner violence in the community, especially emotional violence, emerges as an important finding, indicating the need for care in prevention and the overall health of this population.
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Câncer de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil, erika_nbarros@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Érika Neves
authors.initials: ÉN
authors.lastname: de Barros
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Arleide
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Núcleo de Estudos da Violência, IMIP, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Gilliatt Hanois
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Falbo Neto
authors.affiliation: Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Sara Gomes
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Lucena
authors.affiliation: Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ponzo
authors.affiliation: Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife, PE, Brasil.
authors.forename: Amanda Patrícia
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Pimentel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012742:Sex Offenses; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*