Violence against women by male partners and against children within the family: prevalence, associated factors, and intergenerational transmission in Romania, a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundDomestic violence is a public health problem with negative consequences. We aimed to determine the prevalence of violence between parents and by parents against children, types of intimate partner violence against women, the intergenerational transmission of violence, and to identify a profile of beliefs and judgements regarding violent behaviour.MethodsThe data used for this article were sourced from three cross-sectional studies performed in Romania in 2009–2011. We sampled 869 respondents (male and female) with a homogenous distribution between environment, gender, educational level, and age group (18 to 75). From a 96-item questionnaire regarding family and reproductive health, this article refers to four items: (1) feelings relating to the family in which they were raised; (2) whether they witnessed violence between parents or were victims of violence by parents or other family members during childhood or the teenage years; (3) opinions relating to 10 statements on violence from Maudsley Violence Questionnaire; (4) the manifestation of psychological, emotional, and sexual abuse from the partner in the family of procreation (FOP). The data were analysed by Pearson chi-square tests and latent class analysis.ResultsDuring childhood, 35% of respondents witnessed parental violence and 53.7% were victims of family violence. Psychological abuse by men against women was the most common type of violence reported in the FOP (45.1%). Violence in childhood and adolescence correlated with the perception of the family of origin as a hostile environment and of violence against women as a corrective measure, and that insults, swearing, and humiliation by their partner within the FOP is acceptable (p < 0.05). A profile of beliefs and judgements about violent behaviour indicated that the Impulsive reactive cluster is represented by men in rural areas, and by subjects who witnessed parental violence or were victims of violence during childhood (p < 0.001).ConclusionsIn Romania, the use of violence as a form of discipline or instruction of children and women remains a significant problem, with a higher rate of intimate partner violence than in other developed countries. Furthermore, implementing intervention mechanisms for psychological abuse is urgently required, as are education and intervention in high-risk populations.

Intimate partner violence trends in Brazil: data from two waves of the Brazilian National Alcohol and Drugs Survey

“…[14][15][16] There is consistent evidence showing higher rates of IPV among heavy drinkers and alcohol dependents. The I BNADS confirmed the association between IPV and alcohol consumption.…”

Violência contra mulheres em diferentes estágios do ciclo de vida no Brasil: um estudo exploratório

“…1,2 Violence against women covers cases that range from situations of psychological violence and threats to physical aggression. [3][4][5] In Brazil, the subject-matter has gained even more attention after the implementation of the federal Law number 11,340, which has the objective of punishing cases of violence between intimate partners. 6 In the first year of effective enforcement of this law, popularly known as the Maria da Penha law, the homicide rates against women experienced a small decrease; however, they immediately started growing substantially again until 2010, when a rate of 4.6 homicides for every 100 thousand women was registered, the largest number observed in the country until then 7 .…”

“…7 Various risk factors have been identified as relating to the occurrence of violence against women, including sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, substance use, and history of having witnessed family violence in infancy or adolescence. 5,9 These facts demonstrate that violence against women is multi-faceted and, under a socioecological perspective, is the product of complex interactions between individuals, families, communities, and social level factors. 10 RESUMO: Objetivo: Descrever o perfil da violência contra mulheres em diferentes ciclos de vida, de acordo com as características sociodemográficas das vítimas e dos agressores.…”

“…The consequences of being exposed to violence produce physical, psychological, economic, and social impacts. 5 Problems like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal thoughts have been encountered in these victims. 11,12 If the sociodemographic characteristics of the victims of violence and the aggressors are not taken into consideration, intervention proposals to minimize the resulting consequences of this social phenomenon cannot be effective.…”

“…4,13 Information relative to the distribution of violence against women and the identification of the most vulnerable populations can substantially contribute to the direction of efforts destined for the creation of public policy related to surveillance, criminalization, prevention, social assistance, and rehabilitation. 5 This study is one of the first in scientific literature that tried to trace the profile of violence against women in accordance with sociodemographic characteristics of the victims and aggressors through employment of the multivariable model of the decision tree, the Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID), which is a promising instrument for approaches to public health.…”