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. 2013 Nov-Dec;33(6):595-600.
doi: 10.5144/0256-4947.2013.595.

A history of childhood maltreatment among spouses predicts violence against women

Heba Al-Faris, Huda Al-Faris, Eiad Al-Faris, Naeem Naghma, Amr Jamal  1 , Aljoharah Mohammed AlQuaiz, Rasha Al-Thebaity, Monira Al-Zahrani, Noor Qusti, Rawan Al-Ahmadi, Salha Hakami, Sara Ghazi Al-Mutairi, Maha Al-Moneef, Shorooq Al-Osaimi, Toka Al-Sulaim, Riaz Qureshi, Farhana Irfan, Philip Feeley
Affiliations

A history of childhood maltreatment among spouses predicts violence against women

Heba Al-Faris et al. Ann Saudi Med. 2013 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Violence against women (VAW) is a worldwide problem that adversely affects women physically, psychologically, sexually, and financially. The aim of this study was to investigate (1) the rate of self-reported physical violence from husbands among women who presented to outpatient clinics of a major teaching hospital (2) the variables associated with VAW and (3) the pattern and the consequences of abuse on the victims' health.

Design and settings: This cross-sectional study was conducted over a 6-month period, commencing in December 2009 at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: Women attending outpatient clinics regularly at KKUH, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were eligible for the study. The WHO VAW Instrument was used with some modifications to accommodate for the local culture.

Results: A total of 222 Saudi women whose age ranged from 15 to 70 years were enrolled in the study. The rate of physical violence in the current study was 12.2%. Statistically significant associations were found between the self-reporting of VAW and the physical abuse of their husbands during childhood (odds ratio [OR]=8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.2, 28.5, P=.002). Similarly living in rented houses resulted in higher likelihood of the wife being abused (OR=4.23, CI: 1.706, 10.49, P=.002). The likelihood increased if there was a history of wives being abused as a child (OR=3.563, CI: 1.438, 8.824, P=.008) and if their husbands were unemployed (OR=5.29, CI: 1.6, 17.57, P=.012). Furthermore, women who described family life as bad or disastrous were found more likely to be physically abused (OR=5.8, CI: 2.3, 14.5, P=.001).

Conclusion: VAW is a significant social and public health problem in the Saudi society. Health professionals may need to consider the diagnosis, when the risk factors identified in the current study are found.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of the methods of physical violence amond the abused women (Total no. of patients=27).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Symptoms encountered by the abused women over the lastfour months in numbers (out of 27).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Opinion of abused women regarding the reasons for violence in numbers (out of 27). The vertical access indicates the number of women with the reason for violence.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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