Domestic Violence among Female Psychiatric Patients in Ain Shams University Hospitals

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Abstract Background Domestic violence can be defined as “any incident of threatening behavior, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been an intimate partner or family member, regardless of gender or sexuality” and is one of the most common forms of interpersonal violence internationally. Objective To assess the rate of domestic violence in a sample of female psychiatric patients. To assess the correlation between domestic violence and sociodemographic and clinical correlates. Patients and Methods Study was conducted in outpatient psychiatric services in Okasha institute of psychiatry Ain Shams University Hospitals. Ain Shams University is in Cairo and serves a catchment area of about the third of Greater Cairo. It serves both urban and rural areas, including areas around Greater Cairo as well. (Clinics are Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday of each week). Results There was significant correlation between exposure to all subtypes of violence (emotional, physical, severe combined abuse, and harassment) and different psychiatric illnesses. Exposure was more to emotional abuse (85.5%), then physical abuse (67%), followed by severe combined abusr (65.5%), and then harassment (45.5%). It was found that there was significant correlation between exposure to severe combined abuse and exposure to physical abuse with different psychiatric diagnoses with P-value of < 0.001 in all of them. Similarly, there was significant correlation between exposure to emotional abuse and different psychiatric illnesses with P-value of 0.001. There was also significant correlation between exposure to harassment and different psychiatric illnesses with P-value of 0.036. Conclusion Our study concluded significant correlation between different psychiatric illnesses and exposure to domestic violence.