A survey on spousal abuse of 500 victims in Iran

Spousal abuse is a serious social problem, which includes a variety of physical, emotional, and sexual violence. Many studies conducted on this subject in different countries show that the actual severity of this problem is far greater than it seems at first glance. Because legal medical centers are the main places where victims are referred, 500 abused victims who were directed to these centers during 2012 were asked to fill out preplanned forms and the collected data were analyzed using analytic methods. The results showed that the average age of the women was 32 years, and their husbands' average age was 36 years. Most of the women had high school diplomas and they were living with their husbands and children. Most of the subjects were housekeepers and had married through their own choice and personal interest. In most of the cases, the initial instance of physical abuse occurred in the first year after marriage, and the head and face were the most frequently injured parts of their body. In a high percentage of cases, the partner was drunk, addicted, or had a history of mental illness. A significant relationship was found between alcohol and drug abuse with domestic violence in this study.