Analysis of the cycle of domestic violence against women

Abstract

Introduction: Violence against Women (VAW) has been produced under the hierarchical organization of male dominance in social relations between genders. It is a type of social relationship that is historically bounded, culturally legitimized and cultivated, in which the woman is exposed to objective and subjective aggression, both in public as well as private sectors. The consequences of the violence suffered by women materialize in biological, psychological and social harms that hamper them fully experiencing human and social equalities. The persistence and the multiplicity of forms of expressing violence against women, throughout history, indicate the importance of the theme and the need to investigate how this practice interferes with the process of living, illness and death of the victim. Objective: To analyse the cycle of domestic violence against women. Methods: This is a population-based survey, and cross-sectional, exploratory and descriptive study, using a quantitative approach. The study was conducted in the city of Joao Pessoa-PB, from August 2013 to December 2015. The population consisted of 424 women over 18 years old, and residing in the city of study. For data collection, two instruments were used: the WHO VAW STUDY and the WHOQOL BREF scale, validated for assessing quality of life. A descriptive analysis was performed, from absolute and relative frequencies for the following variables: sociodemographic; Domestic Violence against Women (DVAW) and QOL, in addition to the average for continuous variables; under CAAE number 20418813.0.0000.5183. Results: The women averaged an overall score of 61.59 for the quality of life index, on a scale from 0 to 100. Regarding scores for each domain, the domain of social relations had the highest average among the domains (69.84), whereas the environment domain had the lowest average (51.03). Conclusions: Domestic Violence against Women directly and adversely affects the quality of life of the victimized women in numerous aspects, because it interferes with the physical and psychological health of women in society and in their social relations, also bringing consequences for the health system.

The increase in domestic violence in Brazil from 2009-2014

“…Violence in the family environment accounts for a significant proportion of the morbidity and mortality rates in Brazil We found that adolescents and adults (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) and 20-59 years old) are the age groups at risk for DV. Violence against adolescents and young adults is an important cause of early mortality and reduced life quality 25 .…”

“…Given Brazil's size and socio-cultural diversity, there are also significant regional differences in the distribution of violence across the country 16 . However, few studies have analyzed the distribution and variation of DV throughout the country 17 . DV has a significant impact on morbidity.…”

Intimate partner violence and severe maternal morbidity among pregnant and postpartum women in São Paulo, Brazil

“…The unfavorable characteristics and living conditions of the pregnant women subjected to IPV can be seen from the perspective of gender analysis [36][37][38][39] . When deprived of the autonomy to fully exercise their social functions, such as access to education, paid jobs, health services and other public policies of social support, women in general submit themselves to a hierarchy of male power that is socially and culturally constituted in many societies, and in particular, in countries with low indicators of human and social development 1 .…”

Sexual abuse characteristics in Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil: from victims to aggressors, from diagnosis to treatment

“…The fact that the victim is abused and continues to live near the offender causes mental health to be affected 24 . In this study, most of the victims presented emotional, psychological, and behavioral disorders due to sexual violence, which, fortunately, can be reduced by the mental health treatment offered by RESAVAS.…”

“…DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7322/jhgd.123611 J Hum Growth Dev. 2017; 27(2): 228-234 Sexual abuse characteristics in Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil: from victims to aggressors, from diagnosis to treatmentThe fact that the victim is abused and continues to live near the offender causes mental health to be affected 24 . In this study, most of the victims presented emotional, psychological, and behavioral disorders due to sexual violence, which, fortunately, can be reduced by the mental health treatment offered by RESAVAS.…”