Intimate partner violence: last year prevalence and association with socio-economic factors among women in Madrid, Spain

Abstract

[Background] Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem with significant consequences on women's health. This study estimates the prevalence of intimate partner violence by type among Madrid's female population and assesses the association with socio-economic variables.

[Methods] We conducted a cross-sectional study in 2004, 2136 women aged 18–70 years, living in the Madrid region with a partner or who had been in contact with an ex-partner in the previous year, were interviewed by telephone. The questionnaire used to measure past-year intimate partner violence, consisted of a Spanish translation of the psychological and sexual violence module of the French National Survey on Violence against Women, and the physical violence module of the Conflict Tactics Scale-1. To assess the association with socio-economic factors, logistic regression models were fitted.

[Results] About 10.1% [confidence interval (CI) 8.9–11.5] of the women had suffered some type of IPV in the previous year. 8.6% (CI 7.4–9.8) experienced psychological violence, 2.4% (CI 1.8–3.1) physical violence and 1.1% (CI 0.68–1.6) sexual violence; the prevalence of psychological-only violence (non-physical/non-sexual) was 6.9% (CI 5.8–8.0). Factors associated with psychological-only violence were divorced or separated status and Group III (clerical workers; supervisors of manual workers) or V (unskilled manual workers) occupation. Unemployment and divorced or separated status were associated with physical violence.

[Conclusions] Spanish women in our study, experienced past year partner violence at a similar level as in other industrialized countries. Unemployment and low occupational status are associated with physical and psychological-only violence, respectively.