Domestic violence against women in China: Prevalence, risk factors and health outcomes

Background. Domestic violence (DV) disrupts a person's life and health with profound consequences. In China, unlike Western countries, DV was not recognized as a social problem until recently. Very few studies of DV have been conducted in China thus far. Furthermore, no one in the Chinese health care system was advocating attention to the problem. This study sought to determine the types and prevalence of DV among patients in an OB/GYN clinic in China; and to explore the risk factors and the health consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV).; Methods. This study employed a cross-sectional prevalence face-to-face survey with a cohort comparison component in an outpatient OB/GYN clinic at a major teaching hospital in Fuzhou, Fujian Province (State) in China. A total of 600 women completed the interview.; Results. The prevalence of psychological, physical and sexual abuse is 57%, 38% and 16% in lifetime, and 36%, 21% and 12% in year prior respectively. The prevalence of IPV is 43% in lifetime and 26% in year prior. The strongest predictors for IPV within a participant's lifetime were having lived with a man for two or more times, the partners having extramarital affairs, and partner refusal to give money. The best predictors for IPV within the past year were the partners having extramarital affairs and frequent quarrelling between the participants and the partners. The partner being in a manager/supervisor position and the normative belief in family privacy were protecting factors for both lifetime and year prior IPV. Women who experienced IPV had significant more physical and mental symptoms than women who had never experienced IPV.; Conclusions. This is the first known DV study in a healthcare setting in Mainland China, and it is the most complete DV study conducted in China thus far. The prevalence of DV in China is as high as in the U.S. DV has significant influences on women's health. Traditional patriarchal values and orientations still persist in Chinese society. For Chinese women to be free from DV, they need to achieve financial independence first. Greater DV prevention efforts are needed through public education, media coverage, healthcare assessment and government actions.