A cross-sectional study of a Swedish random male population sample

Aims: This article addresses the under-researched area of men’s experiences of abuse. The aims were to estimate prevalence of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and abuse in health care in a random sample of Swedish adult men, to compare these estimates with previously collected prevalence rates in a male clinical sample to see if prevalence rates were dependant on response rate and sampling method. We also wanted to contribute to a more general analysis of men’s experiences of victimisation. Methods: Cross-sectional study design. The NorVold Abuse Questionnaire that measures the prevalence of four kinds of abuse was sent to 6000 men selected at random from the population of Östergötland, Sweden. Results: The response rate was 50% (n = 2924). Lifetime experiences of emotional abuse were reported by 16.7%, physical abuse by 48.9%, sexual abuse by 4.5%, and abuse in health care by 7.3%. The proportion of men who currently suffered from abusive experiences was highest for emotional abuse and abuse in health care. No difference in prevalence was seen between the random population sample and the clinical sample despite significant differences regarding response rate and background characteristics. Conclusions: Abuse against men is prevalent and men are victimised as patients in health care. Response rate and sampling method did not influence prevalence rates of abuse. Men’s victimisation from emotional abuse and abuse in health care was associated with low income and being born outside of the Nordic countries and hence needs to be analysed in the intersections of gender, class, and ethnicity

Association between experiencing rape, police reporting, and self-reported health among women visiting three gynecology clinics in Sweden

Objective. To describe the frequency of police reporting among rape victims based on two hypotheses: (1) victims of rape more often report poor health than those who have not been victims of any abuse, and (2) victims who report abuse to the police are more likely to state poor self-reported health than those who do not report any abuse. Design. Cross-sectional questionnaire study. Setting. Three Swedish departments of obstetrics and gynecology. Sample. From an original sample of 2,439 women, those who had experienced rape and those who had no history of abuse were included (n=1,319). Method. Analysis of associations between self-reported poor health, rape, and police reporting among rape victims were assessed by multivariate models adjusted for type of abuse, perpetrator, and sociodemographic factors. Main outcome measures. Odds ratios (ORs) for poor health among rape victims. Results. Rape was seldom reported to the police (23.5%, 44/187). Both hypotheses were confirmed; rape victims more often state poor health than non-abused women (adjusted OR 3.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4-6.3), and women who had reported abuse to the police stated poor health more often than those who had not reported abuse to the police (adjusted OR 3.0; 95% CI 1.1-8.1). Conclusions. Three of four rape victims had not reported any abuse to the police, and those who had were more likely to report poor health. Rape myths are prevalent in society and affect how victims of sexual abuse are treated both by formal and informal support providers, which in turn may affect the recovery and health of victims. Our results send an urgent message to the current debate on sexual abuse against women: Why do women not report rape to the police?Johanna Davidsson, Gabriella Benjaminsson, Barbro Wijma and Katarina Swahnberg, Association between experiencing rape, police reporting, and self-reported health among women visiting three gynecology clinics in Sweden, 2009, ACTA OBSTETRICIA ET GYNECOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, (88), 9, 1000-1005. ACTA OBSTETRICIA ET GYNECOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA is available online at informaworldTM: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00016340903147397 Copyright: Taylor & Francis http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/default.as