Vives-Cases, Carmen, Torrubiano-Domínguez, Jordi, Escribà Agüir, Vicenta, Ruiz Pérez, Isabel, Montero Piñar, María Isabel, Gil-González, Diana Social determinants and health effects of low and high severity intimate partner violence VIVES CASES, Carmen, et al. "Social determinants and health effects of low and high severity intimate partner violence". Annals of Epidemiology. Article in Press (Available online 25 March 2011). ISSN 1047-2797 URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10045/18147 DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2011.02.003 ISSN: 1047-2797 (Print) Abstract: PURPOSE: We sought to analyze whether the sociodemographic profile of battered women varies according to the level of severity of intimate partner violence (IPV), and to identify possible associations between IPV and different health problems taking into account the severity of these acts. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 8,974 women (18-70 years) attending primary healthcare centers in Spain (2006-2007) was performed. A compound index was calculated based on frequency, types (physical, psychological, or both), and duration of IPV. Descriptive and multivariate procedures using logistic regression models were fitted. RESULTS: Women affected by low severity IPV and those affected by high severity IPV were found to have a similar sociodemographic profile. However, divorced women (odds ratio [OR], 8.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.2-20.3), those without tangible support (OR, 6.6; 95% CI, 3.3-13.2), and retired women (OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2-6.0) were more likely to report high severity IPV. Women experiencing high severity IPV were also more likely to suffer from poor health than were those who experienced low severity IPV. CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of low and high severity IPV seems to be influenced by the social characteristics of the women involved and may be an important indicator for estimating health effects. This evidence may contribute to the design of more effective interventions. Keywords:Battered women, Sociodemographics, Social support, Women's health Elsevier info:eu-repo/semantics/article