Estudio de la opinión de profesionales sanitarios sobre la violencia de género

Résumé

Abstract Gender-based violence is a public health problem. Health professionals have a legal and welfare responsibility on this problem. Specifically, nurses and doctors occupy a privileged position for identifying gender-based violence victims, and thus to pass them onto other professionals and areas involved. The aim is to study opinions of medical and nursing professionals on gender violence and assess the influence of sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge and experience on gender-based violence in those views. It is done with a transverse observational study, by completing a questionnaire based on the version proposed by Ferrer et al. (2006) Inventory of Distorted Thoughts on Women and Violence (IPDMV) of Echeburúa and Fernández- Montalvo, with modifications. The results show that more than 17 % of nursing and medicine professionals do not totally reject psychological violence against women, being the percentage of men (25%) higher than women's (10%), and among those who have not detected any cases of gender-based violence. Besides, more than 28% do not totally reject the use of physical violence, professionals justify the use of violence blaming women and minimizing the importance of gender-based violence. The analysis shows a higher percentage of men (33%) compared to women (25%). In addition, more than 5 % of these professionals do not totally reject sexual violence against women. Being higher the percentage of men (11%) than women (3.5%), and among those without partners, and among those who do not know the protocol for action against gender-based violence. Furthermore, more than 92% do not totally reject opinions about consent of women to suffer gender violence, being the percentage of those who have opinions that blame women for allowing gender-based violence more than 44%. The percentage is higher among those whose family livelihood depends only on their salary, among those who have not received specific training and those who do not know the protocol for action against gender-based violence. In addition, over 47% have opinions that typify somehow gender-based violence. Of these, more than 18% hold clichés about it. The percentage was higher among those who have not detected any cases of gender violence, among those who do not know the specific protocol and those who have not received specific training. Heath professionals should be models of zero tolerance towards gender-based violence. However, we find some opinions that show some permissibility of the basic aspects of gender-based violence, and some of them accept myths and stereotypes about this problem. This involves normalizing the situation of abuse which may hamper the identification of cases of gender-based violence. Besides, the highest percentage of views which totally reject these aspects are among health professional women, and among those who have knowledge, specific training and detected cases of gender-based violence, which shows the importance of awareness campaigns and specific training about this problem.