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[Patients in general practice who experienced violence or threats from someone they knew well]
1Institutt for allmennmedisin og samfunnsmedisinske fag, Oslo. pal.gulbrandsen@legeforeningen.no
Introduction:
Having been exposed to threats or violence often influences health. We explored the association between such experiences and sociodemographic data among patients in general practice.
Material And Methods:
A questionnaire study was conducted. 89 doctors and their patients during one workday were the informants. The patients completed the questionnaire at home.
Results:
1,401 consultations were included; 1,217 (87%) patients responded. 14% of the patients said that they experienced violence or threats from someone they knew well, 2% were uncertain. 38% of adult patients in single-parent household had such experiences. The prevalence was also higher among patients with a difficult housing situation, in need of social welfare, who had been unemployed for more than six months, or assessed themselves as more than 50% permanently disabled. 6% of patients 60 years or older had experienced of violence or threats.
Interpretation:
In general practice, patients with social problems or living in single-parent households more often have experience of violence or threats. Comparatively few elderly people report such experiences.