Online Program

290939
Attitudes about gender roles and intimate partner violence (IPV) among a sample of haitian men and women


Monday, November 4, 2013

Jessy G. Dévieux, Ph.D., Dept. of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL
Marie-Marcelle Deschamps, MD, Les Centres GHESKIO, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Anshul Saxena, MPH, Department of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, Miami, FL
Taina Dadaille, M.D., Les Centres GHESKIO, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Nancy Dorvil, M.D., Les Centres GHESKIO, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Olivia Paul, B.A., Les Centres GHESKIO, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Background

Globally, violence against women is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality among women; it is a greater cause of death among women and girls than traffic accidents and malaria combined. Many studies have shown that intimate partner violence (IPV) and gender inequity in relationships are associated with increased prevalence of HIV in women. We assessed attitudes towards gender roles and prevalence of IPV in a sample of women and men in Haiti.

Methods

Gender power equity and IPV were measured using the WHO Women's Health questionnaire. Men and women aged 18≥ were asked 8 questions related to attitudes towards gender roles. Four questions were only asked to women regarding experiences with psychological, physical and sexual violence in their intimate relationships. Questions were recoded and added to get a composite score. Tests for differences in proportions and means were conducted.

Results

The sample included 5,607 (35.1%) males and 10,362 (64.8%) females. The mean (SD) age for all participants was 32.12 (11.34). The mean composite score for the sample was 25.7(2.52) indicating strict traditional views about gender roles; statistically significant differences between males and females as well as among different age groups were found (P < 0.0001). Women reported high prevalence of various forms of IPV.

Conclusion

Overall, men and women held strict traditional views about gender roles even though the sample included nearly twice as many females as males. Results indicate the need for multi-level structural interventions to affect changes in attitudes about gender roles and IPV in Haiti.

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Discuss attitudes about gender roles in Haiti and gender differences related to them. Discuss the scope of intimate partner violence (IPV) globally and in Haiti.

Keyword(s): HIV/AIDS, Women's Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-principal of multiple federally funded grants focusing on the HIV prevention and co-occurring mental and drug use disorders.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3300.0: Sex, violence, and HIV