Risk of violence from a current or former partner: Associated factors and classification in a nationwide study in Colombia

Isaac Esteban Camargo Freile, Karen Cecilia Flórez Lozano, Carlos Alberto Sarmiento Crespo, Carolina Mercedes Vecchio Camargo, Sandra Milena Rodríguez Acosta, Victor Florez-Garcia, Edgar Navarro Lechuga

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) includes assaults that risk a woman’s bodily integrity. Intimate partners commit IPV, people with whom the victim shares (or shared) a close personal or sexual relationship. This phenomenon has a great global and national impact. Thus, it is necessary to establish trends of the risk of physical violence to women by their current or former partner in each department of Colombia and its relationship with sociodemographic and health characteristics. This study uses an ecological approach at the departmental level, with victims of intimate partner violence treated at the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (INMLyCF). Potential factors were identified through Bayesian factor analysis and were included in the model to estimate risk. The findings show that the Casanare department had the highest risk of producing victims (SMR: 2.545). In departments where the educational level of women is at or below primary school, there is a high-risk β = 0.343 (0.285, 0.397) of them being assaulted. For the departments in which the employment of women is in sales and services or office workers, the associated factor presents a higher risk β = 0.361 (0.201, 0.485), as in the risk related to affiliation with the social security system β = 0.338 (0.246, 0.498), as well as sexual and reproductive life β = 0.143 (0.003, 0.322). The following categories were associated with physical gender violence: no education and low participation in making purchases at home β = 0.106 (0.049, 0.199), low participation in decisions about their health, and visits to family and friends β = 0.240 (0.170, 0.299). Therefore, public health programs should strengthen women’s empowerment in household decisions and increase their educational level to reduce this incidence.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere0279444
JournalPloS one
Volume17
Issue number12 December
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2022
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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