Carmo Rute, Grams Ana, Magalhães Teresa
Porto University, Portugal.
J Forensic Leg Med. 2011 Nov;18(8):355-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2011.07.006. Epub 2011 Aug 12.
Intimate partner violence is an important worldwide problem. In general, men are considered perpetrators of this type of violence, but they can also be victims. The experience of men as victims of intimate partner violence is not yet described and characterized in Portugal. The aim of this study is to contribute to characterize this phenomenon to better understand it, including the temporary and permanent physical harm to men's health, in a medico-legal and forensic perspective.
This study is a retrospective analysis of 535 suspected cases of male victims of intimate partner violence, aged 18 years or older, observed in the Clinical Forensic Medicine Department of the North Branch of National Institute of Legal Medicine of Portugal, between 2007 and 2009.
Over this period, 4646 suspected victims of intimate partner violence were examined; 11.5% (n = 535) of them were men. Male victims' age range was 18-89 years, with an average of 41 years; 61.5% were married; all of the documented cases had completed primary instruction; most of them were employed; 16.2% reported being victims of childhood abuse. The alleged perpetrators were all females; their age range was 19-81 years, with an average of 38 years; 9.3% had history of alcohol abuse and 12.1% had a psychiatric disorder; 11% claimed to have been abused in the childhood. Victims were married to the perpetrators in 63.9% of the cases; 81.6% had previous history of intimate partner violence, however, most of them did not report it to the authorities and only a minority sought medical care (8.1%) because of this previous abuses. Concerning the reported violent episode, the most common mechanisms of aggression were scratching (18.9%), punching (16.7%) and hit with a blunt object (16.6%). The most common injury was an abrasion; upper limbs were the most frequent injury's location; 96.1% healed in less than 9 days; 4.9% had sequelae (scars); 36.9% sought medical care.
The reported cases of intimate partner violence against men represent 11.5% of the total of these cases observed in the medico-legal services of Porto. This number may be bigger because men tend to underreport and hide this kind of victimization, and also because injuries usually are mild (women perpetrate psychological abuse and minor acts of physical violence). Male victims may benefit from preventive and informative public policy campaigns.
亲密伴侣暴力是一个全球性的重要问题。一般来说，男性被视为这类暴力的实施者，但他们也可能成为受害者。在葡萄牙，男性作为亲密伴侣暴力受害者的经历尚未得到描述和特征分析。本研究旨在从法医学和法医的角度，对这一现象进行特征分析，以便更好地理解它，包括对男性健康造成的暂时和永久性身体伤害。
本研究是对2007年至2009年期间在葡萄牙国家法医学研究所北部分支临床法医学部观察到的535例18岁及以上亲密伴侣暴力男性疑似受害者病例进行的回顾性分析。
在此期间，共检查了4646例亲密伴侣暴力疑似受害者；其中11.5%（n = 535）为男性。男性受害者年龄在18至89岁之间，平均年龄为41岁；61.5%已婚；所有有记录的病例都完成了小学教育；他们大多有工作；16.2%报告曾是童年虐待的受害者。据称的施暴者均为女性；年龄在19至81岁之间，平均年龄为38岁；9.3%有酗酒史，12.1%患有精神疾病；11%声称曾在童年时遭受虐待。63.9%的案件中受害者与施暴者为夫妻关系；81.6%有亲密伴侣暴力的既往史，然而，他们中的大多数人未向当局报告，只有少数人（8.1%）因之前的虐待寻求医疗护理。关于报告的暴力事件，最常见的攻击方式是抓挠（18.9%）、拳击（16.7%）和用钝器击打（16.6%）。最常见的损伤是擦伤；上肢是最常受伤的部位；96.1%在不到9天内愈合；4.9%有后遗症（疤痕）；36.9%寻求了医疗护理。
报告的针对男性的亲密伴侣暴力案件占波尔图法医学服务机构观察到的此类案件总数的11.5%。这个数字可能更大，因为男性往往少报和隐瞒这类受害情况，还因为伤害通常较轻（女性实施心理虐待和轻微身体暴力行为）。男性受害者可能会从预防性和宣传性的公共政策活动中受益。
