Women’s experiences with violence: A national study (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal of Women's Health, 2004
Over the past two decades, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been a key contributor to the growing public health effort to prevent violence. Although CDC and its partners are proud of their many successes, much work remains to be done. Violence continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide for people aged 15-44. Moreover, although many forms of violence garner national concern and resources, much more violence occurs in private domains and receives less attention. These hidden health hazards silently drain our nation's human, economic, and health resources. In this paper, we highlight the current efforts of the Division of Violence Prevention (DVP), housed within CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), to use a public health approach to the prevention of one key hidden health hazard: violence against women (VAW). Building from a recently developed strategic plan and a research agenda, we explain how four core public health principles-emphasizing primary prevention, advancing the science of prevention, translating science into effective programs, and building on the efforts of others-drive current programmatic activities in VAW prevention. Several current programs and projects are described. Finally, we conclude with recommendations for future prevention work by deepening our vision of leadership, expanding our partnerships, pursuing comprehensive approaches, and using evidence-based strategies.
PsycEXTRA Dataset
To further an understanding of violence against women, a national telephone survey on violence was conducted from November 1995 to May 1996. The survey sampled approximately 8,000 women and 8,000 men, providing comparable data on women's and men's experiences with violent victimization. Study findings provide empirical data on the prevalence and incidence of rape, physical assault, and stalking, as well as information on intimate partner violence and differences in the prevalence of rape and physical assault on women of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Physical assault was found to be widespread among U.S. women, with 52% of those surveyed reporting physical assault in their lives, and 1.9 reporting physical assault in the last 12 months. Racial and ethnic differences were significant, with Native American women the most likely to report rape and physical assault victimization. Women experienced more partner violence, were more likely to be injured during an assault, and were more likely to have been stalked. Implications for public health and intervention planning are discussed. (Contains 15 exhibits and 24 endnotes.) (SLD)
Violence Against Women: Outcome Complexity and Implications for Assessment and Treatment
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2004
This article reviews the major forms of violence against women, including sexual assault, intimate-relationship violence, and stalking and outlines the known psychological effects of such victimization. Also discussed are a number of variables that combine to determine the effects of such victimization, including type and characteristics of the assault; victim variables such as demographics, psychological reactions at the time of the trauma, previous victimization history, current or previous psychological difficulties, and general coping style; and sociocultural factors such as poverty, social inequality, and inadequate social support. The implications of this complexity are explored in terms of psychological assessment and the frequent need for multitarget, multimodal treatment approaches.
Document Title: Violence Against Women: Synthesis of Research for Public Health Policymakers
This report is written for public health policymakers, a broadly defined group that encompasses legislators; funders; agency administrators; chairs of programs and departments in schools of public health, medicine, nursing, and other schools in health affairs; and clinical staff and administrators in hospitals, health departments, and other health care settings-in short, anyone who makes decisions that affect public health policies or their implementation. For this project, violence against women encompasses "physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological abuse committed by intimate partners or acquaintances." 1 *
Violence Against Women in Selected Areas of the United States
American Journal of Public Health, 2015
Objectives. We determined the prevalence of recent emotional, physical, and sexual violence against women and their associations with HIV-related risk factors in women living in the United States. Methods. We performed an assessment of women ages 18 to 44 years with a history of unprotected sex and 1 or more personal or partner HIV risk factors in the past 6 months from 2009 to 2010. We used multivariable logistic regression to examine the association of experiencing violence. Results. Among 2099 women, the prevalence of emotional abuse, physical violence, and sexual violence in the previous 6 months was 31%, 19%, and 7%, respectively. Nonmarried status, food insecurity, childhood abuse, depression symptomology, and posttraumatic stress disorder were significantly associated with multiple types of violence. All types of violence were associated with at least 3 different partner or personal HIV risk behaviors, including unprotected anal sex, previous sexually transmitted infection di...
Violence Against Women: Synthesis of Research for Public Health Policymakers
PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2000
This report is written for public health policymakers, a broadly defined group that encompasses legislators; funders; agency administrators; chairs of programs and departments in schools of public health, medicine, nursing, and other schools in health affairs; and clinical staff and administrators in hospitals, health departments, and other health care settings-in short, anyone who makes decisions that affect public health policies or their implementation. For this project, violence against women encompasses "physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological abuse committed by intimate partners or acquaintances." 1 * Violence Against Women as a Public Health Problem Violence is a significant threat to the health and well-being of women, yet it has only recently been recognized as a serious public health problem. Homicide is the fourth leading cause of death for women younger than age 45, the leading cause of death for African-American women ages 15 to 24, and the leading cause of on-the-job death for all women. 2,3 Estimates of the magnitude of violence against women vary widely depending on the type of violence being measured, how that violence is defined, the nature of the study sample, and the methodology employed. Every year at least 1 million women will require emergency department care as a result of ongoing battering, 1 million will be stalked, about 500,000 will be raped or sexually assaulted, and an estimated 2 to 4 million will be physically assaulted by partners, relatives, acquaintances, and strangers. 4-6 Experiencing physical and sexual violence has profound and long-lasting physical and mental health consequences, including fatal and nonfatal injuries, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, somatic complaints, chronic pain, gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, depression, chronic fatigue, sexual dysfunction, anxiety, phobias, sleep and eating disorders, suicide ideology and attempts, and persistent feelings of vulnerability. 7-13 Furthermore, 30 percent of women who have been stalked reported that they sought counseling, and 26 percent said they lost time from work as a result of their experiences. Stalking victims are more likely to be very concerned about their personal safety and to carry something to protect themselves than are women who have not been stalked. 14 Yet, the consequences of violence against women are much broader than the impact on individual victims; it wreaks immense economic and social havoc. Sexual assault and domestic violence victims have higher rates of health care utilization and report lower perceived health status than nonvictimized women. 15-17 In fact, violence is one of the most powerful predictors of increased health care utilization for women. 8,18 In addition, an estimated 25 to 60 percent of homeless women are fleeing battering situations. 19-23 The annual societal tolls of domestic violence and rape/sexual assault are estimated to be 67billionand67 billion and 67billionand127 billion, respectively. 24 Despite its enormous public health impact, the recognition of violence against women as a public health policy issue is a relatively recent development. Until the early 1980s, concerns about violence against women rested almost exclusively within the purview of criminology, sociology, *The superscript numbers refer to numbered references in the reference list at the end of this report.
Violence and Women's Mental Health: The Impact of Physical, Sexual, and Psychological Aggression
Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 2010
The reach of violence against women (VAW) has been profoundly felt by women across the United States and around the globe. VAW has been documented for decades as a legal and social justice problem, but as illuminated in this review, it is also a substantial mental health concern. A full understanding of the phenomenon must include discussion of how often it occurs, in what forms, and to whom. This review defines violence against women in its variant forms and examines the literature on the mental health effects associated with these abuse experiences. The effectiveness of the mental health system's response to the complex needs of women suffering battering, rape, stalking, and psychological aggression is also examined. The future of research and the important role of the discipline of psychology in the future of this field of study is discussed.
Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology
Objectives: Violence against women (VAW) is associated with a deterioration of endocrine function with consequences similar to those of premature ovarian failure in women. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the hormonal repercussions of VAW and, secondly, to analyse the cardio-metabolic, bone, cognitive, psychological, and psychosexual consequences of hypoestrogenism secondary to VAW. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study will be conducted on women of any age who have suffered VAW at some point in their lifespan, whether psychological, sexual, or physical. Clinical, hormonal, cardio-metabolic, bone, psychological, and psychosexual parameters will be analysed. Results: The pilot study from the first 23 women show that all of them are suffering from severe sexual dysfunction. In addition, all women reported menstrual irregularity and hypoestrogenism (including two cases of premature ovarian failure) since the VAW episode. Conclusions: VAW is a pandemic that affects all women equally, regardless of their age, status, social background, or education. Despite the claims made by certain groups, VAW does not depend on women, but rather it affects women and is clearly harmful to their sexual, reproductive, and general health.