Violencia de género en mujeres con consumo de sustancias ingresadas en el hospital general: cribado y prevalencia

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem worldwide. Several factors have been found to be associated with an increased prevalence of IPV, such as substance use. A cross-sectional study was conducted with the aim of determining the prevalence of IPV among women entering Hospital del Mar (Barcelona) for any medical/surgical reason, and who had a diagnosis of substance use disorder. Secondly, it was intended to psychometrically validate the Spanish version of the Hurt, Insulted, Threatened with Harm, Screamed (HITS) questionnaire. All patients were assessed by two IPV questionnaires, the Composite Abuse Scale (CAS) and HITS. Out of 52 patients interviewed, 46 answered both questionnaires. According to the CAS questionnaire, 23 patients (50%) experienced IPV at some point in their lives and 11 (23.9%) in the last year. Cannabis consumption was also associated with an increased severity of IPV (95% CI 3.5-28.9, p = .013).According to the HITS questionnaire, there was a prevalence of 39.1% (18 patients) in the last 12 months. HITS had a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 78% relative to the CAS questionnaire. A cut-off score x∈ [6.7], derived through ROC analysis, correctly discriminated 91% of the victims and 100% of the non-victims. The results obtained showed that the prevalence of IPV was very high among women who suffered from more than one substance use disorder. Therefore, it is highly recommended to systematically screen for IPV victimization by putting the HITS questionnaire into practice.

Factores de riesgo asociados al consumo de sustancias en mujeres víctimas de maltrato en contexto de pobreza.

“…Additionally, it seems that there is a relationship between the number of stressful life events suffered and substance use (Balk et al, 2009;Caldentey et al, 2017;Siqueira et al, 2000). Specifically, a greater number of these types of events experienced in childhood correlates to alcohol use, although there was no relationship found between the number of traumatic experiences suffered after age 18 and alcohol use.…”

“…They are associated with a large number of negative consequences (Troy & Mauss, 2011) and have been significantly related to alcohol abuse and other substance abuse (Chaudhury, Goel & Singh, 2006;Jose, Oers, Mheen, Garretsen & Mackenbach, 2000;Lijffijt, Hu & Swann, 2014). In this regard, substance abuse may be a mechanism with which to alleviate symptoms related to trauma and mitigate memories associated with the past and the abuse suffered (Caldentey et al, 2017;Heim et al, 2000;Lloréns, Morales, De Vicente & Calatayud, 2002;Ramos, Saldívar, Medina, Rojas & Villatoro, 1998).…”

“…The prevalence of alcohol consumption among victims of GV has been estimated at around 18.5%, which is much higher than the rate among women in the general population (4%-8%) (Golding, 1999). Other studies indicate that between 25%-75% of women addicted to alcohol or other substances have suffered from more types of violence with greater severity (Caldentey et al, 2017;Feingold, Washburn, Tiberio & Capaldi, 2015). Several studies report a higher probability of substance abuse among young women victims of GV (Howard & Wang, 2003;Kreiter et al, 1999;Silverman, Raj, Mucci & Hathaway, 2001).…”

“…Additionally, the relationship between violence and substance use may present as a vicious cycle, as substance use may be a coping mechanism, and at the same time, substance use may be a risk factor for suffering abuse in a more repeated, and more serious fashion (Simonelli, Pasquali & De Palo, 2014). In this regard, professionals who work with victims of violence play a fundamental role in detection and treatment and must consider the repercussions of the combination of these circumstances (Caldentey et al, 2017). However, while studies have been carried out in recent decades that address the relationship between substance abuse and suffering from violence, these studies are lacking in developing countries, where circumstances of vulnerability are increased (Vázquez & Panadero, 2016).…”

“…The purpose of this study is to analyze the risk of substance abuse in victims of GV exposed to various stressful life events throughout their lives in a context of extreme poverty in León (Nicaragua), a reality that is in need of receiving greater visibility in the scientific literature. The hypothesis is that there will be a relationship between experiencing stressful life events and substance use (Balk et al, 2009;Caldentey et al, 2017;Sandler et al, 2016;Siqueira et al, 2000), and that these events will result in a greater risk for substance use when experienced at early ages. It should be noted that the use of violence in Nicaragua seems to be part of the values developed in family dynamics, such that violence against women and girls is widespread (Tinoco et al, 2015), and is a problem exacerbated by extreme poverty, which is transmitted through the generations (Vázquez & Panadero, 2016).…”