Lifetime prevalence of intimate partner violence against women in an urban Brazilian city: A cross-sectional survey

• Published in: PloS one 2019-11, Vol.14 (11), p.e0224204
• Main Authors: Kwaramba, Tendai, Ye, Jinny J, Elahi, Cyrus, Lunyera, Joseph, Oliveira, Aline Chotte, Sanches Calvo, Paulo Rafael, de Andrade, Luciano, Vissoci, Joao Ricardo Nickenig, Staton, Catherine A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abused women; Adolescent; Adult; Aggression; Alcohol; Brazil; Children & youth; Cities; Crimes against; Cross-Sectional Studies; Domestic violence; Earth Sciences; Educational attainment; Emergency medical care; Emotional abuse; Female; Global health; Health aspects; Humans; Intimate Partner Violence; Linear analysis; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Neurosurgery; People and places; Prevalence; Psychological aspects; Public health; Sex crimes; Sex Offenses; Sexual assault; Sexual Partners; Social Sciences; Sociodemographics; Statistical models; Studies; Surgery; Surveys; Urban areas; Violence; Violence against women; Women; Women's health; Womens health
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224204

Intimate partner violence is a global health burden that disproportionately affects women and their health outcomes. Women in Brazil are also affected by interpersonal violence. We aimed to estimate the lifetime prevalence of three forms of interpersonal violence against women (IPVAW) and to identify sociodemographic factors associated with IPVAW in one urban Brazilian city. Using a cross-sectional design, we interviewed women aged ≥18 years in the urban Brazilian city, Maringá, who currently have or have had an intimate partner. The 13-item WHO Violence Against Women instrument was used to ask participants about their experiences with intimate partner violence, categorized into psychological, physical and sexual violence. We estimated associations between IPVAW and sociodemographic characteristics using generalized linear models. Of the 419 women who were enrolled and met inclusion criteria, lifetime prevalence of IPVAW was 56%. Psychological violence was more prevalent (52%) than physical (21%) or sexual violence (13%). Twenty-eight women (6.4%) experienced all three forms of IPVAW. Women were more likely to experience violence if they were employed, did not live with their partner or had 4 or more children. Educational level, household income, age and race were not significantly associated factors. Our findings highlight a high prevalence of IPVAW in a community in southern Brazil.