Intimate partner violence and its associated psychosocial factors among women with breast and/or cervical cancer in China: A cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of intimate partner violence among women with breast cancer and/or cervical cancer in China and to explore its psychosocial associated factors.

METHODS

From July to September 2023, we firstly conducted reliability and validity tests using the simplified Chinese version of the Women Abuse Screening Tool in 150 women with breast and/or cervical cancer. We then used a questionnaire comprising the Chinese version of the Women Abuse Screening Tool, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, European Organization for Research and Treatment Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30, and Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory Scale in 401 women with breast and/or cervical cancer. The descriptive and inferential statistics were determined using SPSS 26.0 version.

RESULTS

The prevalence of intimate partner violence in China among women with breast and/or cervical cancer was 40.9% and 49.00%, respectively. Through logistic regression analysis, we found that current work status, monthly income, diagnosis time, attachment avoidance, and quality of life were factors affecting intimate partner violence in the women with breast and/or cervical cancer.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of intimate partner violence among women with breast and/or cervical cancer was high in China. Intimate partner violence had a negative impact on social support and quality of life among the study participants, and their attachment patterns were more inclined to attachment avoidance. As medical workers, early intimate partner violence screening and appropriate intervention measures should be undertaken to reduce the impact of intimate partner violence on women with breast and/or cervical cancer.