Journal of interpersonal violence
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J Interpers Violence · Jun 2013
Health outcomes among women trafficked for sex in the United States: a closer look.
Human trafficking is recognized as a major public health problem and a tragic transnational crime. Little is known about the health outcomes of victims of human trafficking. This study identifies the relationship of risk factors to physical, sexual, and mental health outcomes in three groups of women (N = 38) exploited for sex in the United States: international trafficking victims, domestic trafficking victims, and nontrafficked sex workers. ⋯ Moreover, domestic trafficking victims displayed poorer health outcomes compared to international trafficking victims. In terms of risk factors, a higher percentage of women involved in street prostitution reported sexual health problems, co-occurring health issues, and addiction. Childhood physical/sexual victimization was related to poor physical health.
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J Interpers Violence · Jan 2013
Militarized sexual violence in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Eastern DRC has been the site of a protracted conflict in which sexual violence has been a defining feature. The method used was a retrospective registry-based study of sexual violence survivors presenting to Panzi Hospital between 2004 and 2008. This analysis aimed to describe the patterns of sexual violence described by survivors and to analyze perpetrator profiles. ⋯ Conclusions are as follows: These data suggest that a high proportion of sexual assaults in South Kivu are perpetrated by armed combatants. Protection of women in South Kivu will require new strategies that take into account the unique nature of sexual violence in DRC. Engaging with local communities, the UN and other aid organizations is necessary to create new context-appropriate protection programs.
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J Interpers Violence · Nov 2012
Explaining the relationship between insecure attachment and partner abuse: the role of personality characteristics.
Studies have found that male batterers are more often insecurely attached as compared with nonbatterers. However, it is still not clear how insecure attachment is related to domestic violence. Many studies compared batterers and nonbatterers regarding pathological personality characteristics that are related to attachment (e.g., dependency, jealousy) and generally found that batterers report more personality characteristics. ⋯ Moreover, only partner distrust increased the risk for battering over and above insecure attachment. The findings suggest the presence of two subtypes among batterers based on attachment style, which has similarities to the family-only and dysphoric-borderline subtypes suggested by Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart. Implications of the present findings for therapy are discussed.
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J Interpers Violence · Nov 2012
Patterns of injury and reported violence depending on relationship to assailant in female Swedish sexual assault victims.
Earlier studies have explored the differences between known-assailant sexual assaults and stranger assaults and reported the stranger assaults as being more violent. Only a few studies have discriminated between sexual assaults by intimate partners from assaults by other known assailants when comparing with assaults by strangers. In this study, we explored differences in the extent of violence and physical injury in sexual assaults committed by intimate partners compared with assaults by strangers and acquaintances. ⋯ Extragenital injuries showed a tendency toward being more frequently found after intimate partner assaults compared with stranger and acquaintance assaults; however, this was not found to be significant in adjusted analyses. Previous history of sexual assault was more common, and seeking medical care within 72 hr as well as being under the influence of alcohol during the assault was less frequent among intimate partner victims. These results support the conclusion that sexual assaults committed by intimate partners, contradictory to earlier studies, are likely to involve more physical violence and result in injuries just as often as assaults committed by strangers.
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J Interpers Violence · Oct 2012
Intimate partner violence and unintended pregnancy among Bangladeshi women.
This study examined the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and unintended pregnancy using data from women reporting IPV in the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey. The analysis included 4,695 married women, aged 15 to 40 years, who had at least one birth in the last 5 years. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between IPV and pregnancy. ⋯ Compared with women who suffered no IPV, women who were abused sexually had a 1.64-fold increased risk of unintended pregnancy, which is higher than those who suffered physical abuse only (odds ratio: 1.35). The prevalence of unintended pregnancy among those who experienced severe physical violence was 1.60 times higher than those who reported no abuse. The findings indicate a significant relationship between IPV and unintended pregnancy among Bangladeshi women.