Abstract
Background. Suffering violence has both short- and long-term negative effects on women’s health. We set out to study the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics of women attending three Family Planning Centers (FPCs) in France and the violence they experienced and to the association between women’s perception of their health status and their exposure to violence. Methods. We conducted an observational survey of clinical practice from December 2018 to February 2019 at three FPCs in Seine-Saint-Denis (Ile-de-France). All women patients aged 18 years or older were eligible. We solicited data on social characteristics, precariousness, and suffering violence. We measured health status on a 10-point scales for six different symptoms.Results. Of the 274 women who participated, 28% had experienced violence. This percentage was higher among women living in socially precarious situations compared to the not or slightly precarious (39.3% vs 15.8%, respectively). Experiencing violence was significantly associated with being between 25 and 44 years old, being in a temporary or irregular administrative situation, being unemployed or seeking a job, and being in a precarious to very precarious situation. The proportion of women reporting domestic violence was more than twice as high in those consulting in FPC-1 (42%) than in FPC-2 (20%) or FPC-3 (16.2%). Regardless of age, history of violence was significantly associated with poor sleep, poor diet, low morale, and poor health in general for all FPCs and all levels of precariousness. Conclusion. Our study reveals that reports of violence against women increased with migratory status and precariousness, unemployment or job-seeking, and a poorer state perception of one’s own health in a population drawn from three Family Planning Centers in Seine-Saint-Denis. It also suggests a structure specifically dedicated to the management of women victim of violence that FPC-1, may be perceived more attractive by women exposed to domestic violence. The study was retrospectively registered: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04304469
To be or not to be a migrant: the different movement behaviours of birds and insights into the migratory status of flamingos (Phoenicopteridae)
