Abstract:
The study aimed to describe the treatment profile for victims of intimate partner violence in urgent and emergency care services in the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) and to investigate differences between the sexes. A descriptive study was performed with data from a survey performed by the System for Surveillance of Accidents and Violence (VIVA Survey), conducted in 86 urgent and emergency care services in 25 state capitals in 2014. All 506 cases of intimate partner violence were included, with 69.9% female victims and 65% from 20 to 39 years of age. Black individuals predominated (70% of females and 82.8% of males, p = 0.005). Lack of paid work was more frequent in female victims (50.4%) compared to males (24.1%), while alcohol consumption was more frequent in males (47.9%) compared to females (21.9%) (p < 0.001). The most common means of aggression against female victims was physical force or beating (70.9%), followed by use of sharp objects (14.5%), while for male victims it was sharp objects (48.7%), followed by physical force or beating (31.6%). Male individuals were identified as the aggressors by 97.6% of the female victims and 11.8% of the males (p < 0.001). The victim’s residence was the main site of violence (69.6% of female victims and 74.4% of males; p = 0.622). Most victims were females, while most aggressors were males. Differences between the sexes may reflect cultural patterns and emphasize the need to investigate gender in addition to biological sex.
Keywords:
Health Surveys; Descriptive Epidemiology; Intimate Partner Violence; Ambulatory Care
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