[An epidemiological study on domestic violence in Hunan, China]

To investigate the prevalence of domestic violence (DV) in Hunan.

Using a multi-stage sampling strategy, 9451 households involving 32 720 persons in urban, rural and industrial areas in Hunan, China were studied. Multiform clue investigation and face-to-face interviews were combined to investigate the prevalence of DV.

A lifetime prevalence of DV was reported by 1533 households (16.2%). A total of 1098 households (11.6%) reported at least one incident of DV in the previous year. Both lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DV varied significantly by geographic setting (P < 0.01). The lifetime prevalence abuse rates were: spousal 10.2%, child abuse 7.8%, and elder 1.5%. With regard to household structure, the lifetime prevalence of DV was highest among those remarried families (21.0%), followed by married couples with one child and extended families with several generations living together (20.1% and 20.0%, respectively). The highest rate of spousal abuse was found among remarried families (14.7%), while child and elder abuse was most prevalent among extended families (12.4% and 4.1%, respectively).

The findings suggested that although the prevalence of DV in Hunan was modest compared to Western countries, it remained a serious public health problem affecting over 1 in 10 households. Furthermore, the prevalence of various types of DV varied by geographic setting and family structure, suggesting that diverse geographic setting and family constellations carried different risk and protective features.