NCJ Number
215120
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 12 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2006 Pages: 715-731
Date Published
August 2006
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship between domestic violence and physical health in a sample of 14,100 middle-aged Australian women.
Abstract
The results revealed that a variety of physical conditions were associated with domestic violence; among them were allergies or breathing problems, pain or fatigue, bowel problems, vaginal discharge, eyesight and hearing problems, low iron, asthma, bronchitis or emphysema, and cervical cancer. Other findings indicated that among the middle-aged Australian cohort under study, the prevalence of ever having lived with a violent partner was 15.4 percent, somewhat lower than had been found in other studies. The findings suggest that domestic violence is linked with a range of negative health outcomes for middle aged women and indicate the need for medical personnel to screen for domestic violence in women presenting with physical symptoms. Data were drawn from the first Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health survey, which questioned over 40,000 women recruited randomly from 3 cohorts of Australian women: those aged 18 to 23 years, those aged 45 to 50 years, and those aged 70 to 75 years. This study used data from a random sample of 14,100 of the women from the middle-aged sample who completed survey 1 of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health survey in 1996. Questions assessed history of domestic violence, demographics, health behaviors, and physical health variables. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS and included the calculation of univariate odds ratios. Limitations of the study include its cross-sectional nature, which does not lend itself to the exploration of causal relationships or temporal sequence of events. Tables, references