Subjective socioeconomic status: An indicator of intimate partner violence in middle-aged adults in Hong Kong

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has recently been recognised as a global public health issue that can cause various kinds of long-lasting physical, sexual and psychological health problems. Limited studies are available concerning the relationship between objective and subjective socioeconomic status (SES) and IPV, and the impact of experiencing IPV on health consequences. This is a cross-sectional study aiming to examine the association between objective and subjective SES as risk factors of IPV, and further investigate how they affect health status in adults who experienced IPV. A total of 400 participants were recruited from June to September 2016 among 18 districts in Hong Kong. Results from multiple linear regression showed that having a higher education (adjusted B [aB] = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.45), having lower levels of subjective SES (aB = -0.08, 95% CI = -0.15, -0.01), experiencing childhood stress (aB = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.27, 0.89) and being married (aB = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.01, 1.19) were significantly associated with IPV. While employment and household income were not associated with IPV. Participants with higher levels of subjective SES were more likely to report somatic symptom (aB = -0.44, 95% CI = -0.87, -0.02), anxiety (aB = -0.38, 95% CI = -0.72, -0.04) and depressive symptom (aB = -0.52, 95% CI = -0.94, -0.10). Low subjective SES, instead of low objective SES, was found associated with IPV in Chinese adults. A priority for future studies is the confirmation and expansion of subjective SES and its function in clinical measures. Programmes instilling hope and optimism will be helpful to enhance subjective SES and boost physical and mental well-being in IPV survivors.