Violence Against Women in João Pessoa – Paraíba - Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: analyse the relationship between cohesion and family adaptability with physical violence against women in the town of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. Material and Methods: A study of the type case-control was used. The sample consisted of 260 women, divided in two groups, 130 who suffered aggression and 130 who did not. Pearson’s Chi-Square, t-Student and a significance level of 5% were used in the statistical analysis. Results: It was observed that most of the women who suffered aggression were victims of their partners (58.5%) and ex-partners (31.5%). The two groups behaved in different ways with regards to the mental risk and cohesion (p<0.001) and in similar ways with respect to rigid family adaptability (p=0.0917); The women who suffered aggression presented a high mental risk (43.1%), different from those who did not suffer aggression, who presented an average risk (55.4%); The cohesion of the women who suffered aggression was disconnected (70.8%), whereas the other group had a separated (35.4%) and connected (24.6%) cohesion. Conclusion: Violence against women is intimately connected to family cohesion, increasing the mental risk of the woman who suffers the aggression, and worsening the quality of life of the family. DESCRIPTORS Battered women. Domestic violence. Family Health.