Domestic Violence Against Men in Primary Care in Nigeria

Abstract

Domestic violence against men is rare in Nigeria. This study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of domestic violence against men, the sociodemographic characteristics of victims, and the pattern of injury sustained in a primary care setting. This was a retrospective study over a period of 5 years in which all the medical records of patients were retrieved and information on domestic violence extracted from them and transferred to a data sheet. Those whose records were grossly deficient were excluded from the study. A total of 220,000 patients were seen of which 48 (22 per 100,000) were victims of domestic violence. There were only five married male victims with a prevalence of 0.0023%. The injuries observed were scratches, bruises, welts, and scalds. The primary care physician needs a high index of suspicion to be able to detect it.