Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #113293

Donna L. Ansara, MSc and Michelle J. Hindin, PhD. Department of Population and Family Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21205, (410) 986-0030, dansara@jhsph.edu

We document the prevalence and correlates of spousal violence using data from the 2002 Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. Of the 1,861 women surveyed, 35.4% reported physical violence in the past year, with 15.2% reporting reciprocal perpetration, 10.2% reporting husband only perpetration, and 9.9% reporting wife only perpetration. More women than men sustained an injury requiring medical attention (8.0% vs. 3.6%). For both women and men, the most frequently cited reasons for perpetration were alcohol use of the partner (30.4%) and jealousy (15.9%). Nearly a quarter of women (24.2%) perceived that their partner hurt them due to nagging, while 11.8% reported fighting back as a reason for their aggression. The multinomial logistic regression analysis showed few common predictors of the three violence groups. Wife's frequent church attendance was protective against wife only (Relative risk ratio (RRR)=0.55, p<.05) and reciprocal violence (RRR=0.61, p<.01), while husband's frequent church attendance was protective against reciprocal violence (RRR=0.62, p<.05). Male dominance in the relationship predicted husband only (RRR=1.73, p<.01) and reciprocal violence (RRR=2.09, p<.001), and a husband's infidelity was associated with reciprocal violence (RRR=2.16, p<.01). Women recalling violence between their parents predicted wife only (RRR=1.89, p<.001) and reciprocal violence (RRR=2.14, p<.001). Women's alcohol use predicted wife only (RRR=1.75, p<.001), husband only (RRR=1.43, p<.05), and reciprocal violence (RRR=2.06, p<.001). These results suggest the importance of considering the context of violence perpetration for husbands and wives and that attention be paid to the effects of alcohol use, intergenerational violence, and relationship power dynamics on spousal violence.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Describe the prevalence of and most common reasons for physical violence perpetration by husbands and wives in the Philippines, and
• Describe some of the individual, household, and relationship characteristics that are associated with intimate partner violence perpetration by women and men in the Philippines.

Keywords: Family Violence, Domestic Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.