South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
BMC Public Health. 2022 Apr 11;22(1):721. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13116-w.
Domestic violence (DV) is a major global public health problem which is associated with significant adverse consequences. Although Sri Lankan women who experience DV receive treatment from healthcare professionals (HCPs) for DV related physical and psychological problems, disclosure of DV within health services is quite low. This study explored barriers to disclosure of DV to HCPs among Sri Lankan women who experience DV.
This qualitative study took place in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Twenty women who had experienced DV were recruited from Gender Based Violence Centers (Mithuru Piyasa Centers) and a toxicology unit of the two selected hospitals. Participants were purposefully selected using maximum variation sampling technique. In-depth interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached. Interviews were recorded, and analyzed using thematic analysis.
Survivor related barriers to help seeking included women's lack of knowledge and perceptions about the role of HCPs, lack of confidence in HCPs, fear of repercussions, personal attitudes towards DV, and their love and loyalty towards the perpetrator. Women preferred it if HCPs initiated discussions about DV, and they valued it when HCPs could be confidential and protect their privacy, and give enough time for DV related issues during consultations. A perpetrator related barrier was the controlling behavior of the perpetrator. Social stigma and social and cultural norms about the role of women emerged as the socio-cultural constraints to disclosure.
Barriers to help seeking for DV from HCPs exist at individual, healthcare level, and societal level. Community programs are needed to increase women's access to healthcare services and interventions should be implemented to develop effective, preventive, and supportive strategies at the healthcare system level.
家庭暴力（DV）是一个严重的全球公共卫生问题，与许多不良后果相关。尽管斯里兰卡遭受 DV 的女性会因与 DV 相关的身体和心理问题接受医疗保健专业人员（HCP）的治疗，但她们在卫生服务中公开 DV 的情况却相当低。本研究旨在探索斯里兰卡遭受 DV 的女性向 HCP 公开 DV 的障碍。
本定性研究在斯里兰卡中部省进行。从两个选定医院的性别暴力中心（Mithuru Piyasa 中心）和毒理学部门招募了 20 名经历过 DV 的女性。使用最大变异抽样技术有目的地选择参与者。进行深入访谈，直到达到数据饱和。访谈进行了录音，并使用主题分析进行了分析。
寻求帮助的幸存者相关障碍包括女性对 HCP 角色的知识和看法不足、对 HCP 的信心不足、对后果的恐惧、对 DV 的个人态度以及对施暴者的爱和忠诚。如果 HCP 主动讨论 DV，女性会更喜欢，如果 HCP 能保密并保护她们的隐私，并在咨询期间为 DV 相关问题提供足够的时间，女性会更看重这一点。施暴者的控制行为是一个障碍。社会耻辱和关于女性角色的社会文化规范是公开 DV 的社会文化限制。
向 HCP 寻求 DV 帮助的障碍存在于个人、医疗保健和社会层面。需要社区计划来增加女性获得医疗保健服务的机会，并应实施干预措施，在医疗保健系统层面制定有效的、预防性和支持性策略。
