خشونت خانگی علیه افراد معلول: شیوع و تجزیه و تحلیل روند

The present study analyzed national data from “Domestic Violence Report System” derived primarily from the Council of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assaults Prevention, Ministry of the Interior, Taiwan, to describe the reported prevalence of domestic violence in people with disabilities and to examine the time-effect on the prevalence from years 2006 to 2009. The annual reported prevalence of domestic violence victims in people with disabilities was slightly lower than the general population. However, the reported rate changed significantly in people with disabilities over the period of 2006–2009, the victim number and rate (per ten-thousand) of reported cases in different years were 1260 (12.84), 1725 (16.90), 2163 (20.79) and 3157 (29.48). People with voice or speech disability, chronic psychosis and intellectual disability were the most domestic violence reported prevalence among the disabilities in the study. Those disabilities, such as chronic psychosis, intellectual disability, vision disability, hearing disability and multi-disabilities show increased significantly in annual reported rate in curve estimation for linear model over the period of 2006–2009. Finally, we found the average increase rate of annual reported prevalence in people of disabilities was 3.7 times of the general population (9.79% vs. 36.08%). Intellectual disability (41.52%), vision or speech disability (38.59%) and chronic psychosis (37.96%) were the most increasing disability type in average of annual reported prevalence of domestic violence among disabilities during the period of 2006–2009. The present study suggests health and welfare authorities should play vital roles in identifying and providing appropriate services for people with disabilities who encounter domestic violence.

The present study analyzed national data from “Domestic Violence Report System” derived primarily from the Council of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assaults Prevention, Ministry of the Interior, Taiwan, to describe the reported prevalence of domestic violence in people with disabilities and to examine the time-effect on the prevalence from years 2006 to 2009. The annual reported prevalence of domestic violence victims in people with disabilities was slightly lower than the general population. However, the reported rate changed significantly in people with disabilities over the period of 2006–2009, the victim number and rate (per ten-thousand) of reported cases in different years were 1260 (12.84), 1725 (16.90), 2163 (20.79) and 3157 (29.48). People with voice or speech disability, chronic psychosis and intellectual disability were the most domestic violence reported prevalence among the disabilities in the study. Those disabilities, such as chronic psychosis, intellectual disability, vision disability, hearing disability and multi-disabilities show increased significantly in annual reported rate in curve estimation for linear model over the period of 2006–2009. Finally, we found the average increase rate of annual reported prevalence in people of disabilities was 3.7 times of the general population (9.79% vs. 36.08%). Intellectual disability (41.52%), vision or speech disability (38.59%) and chronic psychosis (37.96%) were the most increasing disability type in average of annual reported prevalence of domestic violence among disabilities during the period of 2006–2009. The present study suggests health and welfare authorities should play vital roles in identifying and providing appropriate services for people with disabilities who encounter domestic violence. Keywords Domestic violence; Violence; People with disabilities 1. Introduction Traditionally, questions about violence have not been included in health surveys; hence, little is known about the precise prevalence and the consequences for health in the general population (Nerøien & Schei, 2008). McCauley et al. (1995) surveyed that domestic violence prevalence among female patients in U.S. found that 1 of every 20 women had experienced domestic violence in the previous year; 1 of every 5 had experienced violence in their adult life; and 1 of every 3 had experienced violence as either a child or an adult. In South Africa, Jewkes, Levin, and Penn-Kekana (2002) found the lifetime prevalence of experiencing physical violence from a current or ex-husband or boyfriend was 24.6%, and 9.5% had been assaulted in the previous year. Grande, Hickling, Taylor, and Woollacott (2003) found that 17.8% of adults in South Australia reported some form of domestic violence by a current or an ex-partner. They concluded that demographic factors such as low household income, unemployment or part-time employment and ill-health status and alcohol abuse problems were found to have a significant relationship with domestic violence. Other countries, such as Ergin, Bayram, Alper, Selimoglu, and Bilgel (2005) interviewed Turkish women found the most frequently reported type of violence was physical, followed by psychological. They pointed out that domestic violence was statistically significantly associated with educational level, illiterate women reported marital abuse 2.6 times more than university or more educated women. Among the women, analysis indicated that 69% of the women reported some type of past physical, sexual, or psychological abuse (McNamara & Fields, 2002). Nerøien and Schei (2008) conducted a survey of 2143 women (aged 20–55) were ever-partnered in Norway, they found 26.8% had experienced any violence by their partner during their lifetime. The factors of low educational level, being unmarried, separated or divorced, currently being unemployed, receiving social security benefits and having no children were significantly associated with reporting partner violence. Domestic violence can have a profound adverse effect on the health of individuals with disabilities, it is a serious public health concern as well as a violation of human rights (Grande et al., 2003 and Uno et al., 2004). Rosen (2006) explored the literature suggests that violence and exploitation against women and girls with disability occur at a rate 50% higher than in the rest of society. Data also showed that more boys were physically abused and neglected, but more girls were sexually abused (Sobsey, Randall, & Parrila, 1997). Although violence against people with disabilities has long been considered a hidden health burden in the society, the evidence base for an association of disability with abuse and neglect is weak (Benedict et al., 1996 and Govindshenoy and Spencer, 2007). Public health approaches the primary prevention of domestic violence by focusing on surveillance, the identification of risk factors, and the development, evaluation, and dissemination of interventions (Rosenberg, Fenley, Johnson, & Short, 1997). Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide a provisional profile of a national report on people with disabilities who have experienced domestic violence, and to examine the time-effect on the prevalence.