Intimate partner violence and negative health consequences: A cross-sectional study among women in a regional sample in Sweden

Abstract

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global health problem of enormous proportions. However, little is known about the prevalence or health consequences of IPV among women in Stockholm, Sweden, a city characterised by high levels of gender equality that hosts a large population of people born outside Europe. Aims: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of exposure to physical, psychological and sexual IPV and its associated background factors and health outcomes. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study employing a survey containing questions about the previous year’s exposure to IPV that was distributed to 35 midwifery clinics in Stockholm during the autumn of 2020. Any woman who visited any of these midwifery clinics during these two months was eligible to participate. Results: A total of 2239 women answered the questionnaire, of whom 25.1% reported having been subjected to IPV at some point during their life and 8.7% during the previous year. The most common ongoing exposure was psychological violence, which was reported by 6.6% of the women. Women living with IPV reported poorer self-rated general health and more recurring health symptoms and depression than unexposed women. Conclusions: Exposure to IPV is common and is associated with depression, lower general well-being and somatic health problems.