Violence, sexual abuse and health in Greenland

Abstract

The purposes of the study were to analyse the lifetime prevalence of violence and sexual abuse among the Inuit in Greenland and to study the associations between health and having been the victim of violence or sexual abuse. Associations were studied with specific attention to possible differences between women and men. Further, response rates were analysed specifically in order to understand consequences of including questions on violence and sexual abuse in the questionnaire survey. The analyses were based on material from a cross-sectional health interview survey conducted during 1993–94 with participation from a random sample of the Inuit population in Greenland (N = 1393). The prevalence of ever having been a victim of violence was 47% among women and 48% among men. Women had more often than men been sexually abused (25% and 6%) (p < 0,001) and had more often been sexually abused in childhood (8% and 3%) (p = 0.001). Having been the victim of violence or sexual abuse was significantly associated with a number of health problems: chronic disease, recent illness, poor self-rated health, and mental health problems. The associations between having been the victim of violence or sexual abuse and health was stronger for women than for men. It is possible to secure a reasonably high response rate in a general health survey that includes questions on violence and sexual abuse.