ABSTRACT
Objective:Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a human rights violation and a public health concern. The incidence of IPV increases in mass events such as epidemics. The aim of this study was to assess the nature and the extent of IPV among women in Turkey;to identify the associated factors, and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method:The study has a cross-sectional, descriptive design. An online self-report survey, based on World Health Organization guidance on epidemiological studies to assess IPV, was conducted among women between 09.01.2021 and 09.02.2021. The survey had 69 questions which covered sociodemographic characteristics, relationship history, types of violence and mental well-being. Inclusion criteria were being over the age of 18, and having a spouse/partner during the pandemic. Participation was on voluntary basis. 1372 women were included in the analysis. Results:Around a third (30.7%) of participants were exposed to any type of violence before the pandemic, with most common form being emotional violence, and this rate remained unchanged during the pandemic, despite the time spent with partners were expected to increase due to isolation measures. 61 women (4.4%), mostly university graduates living in cities, reported being subject to violence for the first time during the pandemic. 31.2% of them were cases of digital violence. Lower level of education, younger age and partner's alcohol and substance use was associated with IPV, and IPV was associated with poorer mental well-being. Discussion:Despite the public health measures taken during the pandemic (e.g. lockdowns), where women would have spent more time isolated with their partners, rates of IPV did not change from pre-pandemic to pandemic. This outcome needs to be compared with findings from other contexts. Strategies to prevent IPV is of utmost importance for the protection of mental well-being of women and the society during and after the pandemic. © 2023 ANP Publishing. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: We aimed to reveal how four different areas that are important in the functioning of the urology clinic (outpatient clinic, inpatient clinic, operating room, and consultations) were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method(s): Patients admitted to the surgical branches between March 11, 2018 and March 10, 2021 were retrospectively evaluated in terms of their demographic data. The data between these dates were analyzed by dividing the patients into three groups as Groups A, B, and C for the pandemic period, the year before the pandemic, and two years before the pandemic, respectively. Result(s): A total of 1,222,967 patients were included in the study. During the pandemic period, the number of urology outpatient clinic admissions decreased by more than half compared to the previous years (37,471, 93,582, and 89,031 for Groups A, B, and C, respectively). Admissions to the urology inpatient clinic decreased both numerically and proportionally when compared to the other surgical branches (1,301 [5.1%] for Group A, 3,884 [7.7%] for Group B, and 3,761 [7.7%] for Group C]). While the mortality rate did not change proportionally in the urology clinic in all groups (0.3%), it increased both numerically and proportionally in all surgical branches (339 [1.3%], 304 [0.6%], and 256 [0.5%]). Conclusion(s): Admissions to the urology clinic were determined to have decreased during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period, especially due to restriction measures taken by countries and concerns about the unknowns of the disease. As a result of this decrease, the number of operations and the number of hospitalized patients were also reduced. Although the mortality rate was not affected in the short-term followup of patients, long-term outcomes remain uncertain. ©Copyright © 2022 by Prusa Medical Publishing.