Intimate partner violence in Europe: design and methods of a multinational study

Objective: To describe the design, methods, procedures and characteristics of the population involved in a study designed to compare Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in eight European countries. Methods: Women and men aged 18-65, living in Ghent-Belgium (n = 245), Stuttgart-Germany (n = 546), Athens-Greece (n = 548), Budapest-Hungary (n = 604), Porto-Portugal (n = 635), Granada-Spain (n = 138), Östersund-Sweden (n = 592), London-United Kingdom (n = 571), were sampled and administered a common questionnaire. Chi-square goodness of fit and five-age strata population fractions ratios for sex and education were computed to evaluate samples" representativeness. Results: Differences in the age distributions were found among women from Sweden and Portugal and among men from Belgium, Hungary, Portugal and Sweden. Over-recruitment of more educated respondents was noted in all sites. Conclusion: The use of a common research protocol with the same structured questionnaire is likely to provide accurate estimates of the general population IPV frequency, despite limitations in probabilistic sampling and restrictions in methods of administration (AU)

Objetivo: Describir el diseño, los métodos, los procedimientos y las características de la población participante en un estudio diseñado para comparar la violencia de la pareja íntima en ocho países. Método: Formaron parte de la muestra mujeres y hombres (18-65 años de edad), residentes en Ghent-Bélgica (n= 245), Stuttgart-Alemania (n = 546), Atenas-Grecia (n = 548), Budapest-Hungría (n = 604), Porto-Portugal (n = 635), Granada-España (n = 138), Östersund-Suecia (n = 592) y Londres-Reino Unido (UK) (n = 571). Se les administró un cuestionario común. Se calcularon la prueba de ji al cuadrado de bondad de ajuste y razones de fracciones poblacionales de cinco estratos de edad, según sexo y nivel educativo, con la finalidad de evaluar su representatividad. Resultados: Se encontraron diferencias en las distribuciones de edad en las mujeres de Suecia y Portugal, y en los hombres de Bélgica, Hungría, Portugal y Suecia. Ha habido un exceso de reclutamiento de encuestados con un nivel educativo más alto en todos los países. Conclusiones: Un protocolo común de investigación con el mismo cuestionario estructurado puede proporcionar estimaciones precisas de la frecuencia de violencia de la pareja íntima en la población general, a pesar de las limitaciones existentes en la creación de muestras probabilísticas y en los métodos de administración (AU)

Intimate partner violence in Europe: design and methods of a multinational study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the design, methods, procedures and characteristics of the population involved in a study designed to compare Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in eight European countries. METHODS: Women and men aged 18-65, living in Ghent-Belgium (n = 245), Stuttgart-Germany (n = 546), Athens-Greece (n = 548), Budapest-Hungary (n = 604), Porto-Portugal (n = 635), Granada-Spain (n = 138), Östersund-Sweden (n = 592), London-United Kingdom (n = 571), were sampled and administered a common questionnaire. Chi-square goodness of fit and five-age strata population fractions ratios for sex and education were computed to evaluate samples' representativeness. RESULTS: Differences in the age distributions were found among women from Sweden and Portugal and among men from Belgium, Hungary, Portugal and Sweden. Over-recruitment of more educated respondents was noted in all sites. CONCLUSION: The use of a common research protocol with the same structured questionnaire is likely to provide accurate estimates of the general population IPV frequency, despite limitations in probabilistic sampling and restrictions in methods of administration.