Acceptability of Sexual Violence Against Women In Spain: Demographic, Behavioral, and Attitudinal Correlates.

Most research on the social perception of sexual violence is based on samples of university students, while it is rare to find studies with representative samples, despite the vital importance of this information in planning prevention strategies. Furthermore, in Europe, the social perception of sexual violence has been explored very marginally. Our main objective with this study was to explore, by means of a representative sample of the general population (N = 2,465), the relationship between the acceptability of sexual violence and demographic, behavioral, and attitudinal factors in Spain. The variable with the highest impact on the outcome was sexism, followed by knowledge of the most common type of victim-perpetrator relationship, age, perceived frequency of false complaints, and educational background. Other variables such as sex, country of birth, attitudes toward the consumption of prostitution, or opinions regarding prevention of sexual violence were also significant. A better understanding of the factors influencing public attitudes toward sexual violence would be useful to guide prevention efforts.

Influence of Intimate Partner Violence Severity on the Help-Seeking Strategies of Female Victims and the Influence of Social Reactions to Violence Disclosure on the Process of Leaving a Violent Relationship.

This article uses data from the 2015 Spanish Survey on Violence Against Women, a nationally representative survey of 10,171 women aged 16 or above, to analyze the relationship between the severity of intimate partner violence and formal and informal help-seeking strategies, the link between the severity of abuse and the reasons for not seeking formal help, and the influence of social reactions to violence disclosure on the process of leaving a violent relationship. The results show that in Spain, many abused women disclose violence and seek help. However, the severity of the violence strongly determines their help-seeking strategies, especially the search for formal help. Women who experienced less severe incidents tended to minimize their importance and did not seek formal help. For informal help, the differences were smaller, and a high proportion of women talked about the abuse with someone within their social environment, regardless of the severity of the suffered violence. A supportive reaction to violence disclosure had a strong and positive influence on the process of leaving the abusive relationship. The implications of these findings for the design of public policies, education, and awareness-raising campaigns are discussed.

The Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence on Health: A Further Disaggregation of Psychological Violence-Evidence From Spain.

Using a nationally representative sample of 10,171 women, this study examines the association between current and previous intimate partner violence and current health status. Current physical or sexual violence was associated with the highest likelihood of reporting health outcomes, followed by current emotional or economic abuse. Current controlling behavior increased the odds of reporting poor health whereas previous controlling behavior has less effect on current health. Controlling behavior alone often is the first expression of mistreatment. If health professionals could identify violence at this early stage, long-term effects on women's health could be minimized. The implications for health of the cumulative effects of violence and of its timing are discussed.

Non-partner sexual violence against women in Spain: lifetime prevalence, perpetrators and consequences on mental health.

Background: Research on sexual violence by non-partners based on representative samples is scarce. The objectives of the study were (i) to analyse the prevalence of different forms of non-partner sexual violence in Spain and their perpetrators, (ii) to analyse the consequences of non-partner sexual violence on mental health and (iii) to estimate the percentage of rapes that are reported to the police. Methods: Data from the 2015 Spanish Survey on Violence against Women, a nationally representative sample of 10 171 women, were used. Three mutually exclusive categories of non-partner sexual violence were created to measure the effects of violence on health. Logistic regression models were fitted. Results: The lifetime prevalence of non-partner sexual violence was 7.2%. All the categories of non-partner sexual violence were strongly associated with the different health outcomes. Rape increased the likelihood of reporting anxiety [odds ratio, OR: 3.77 (2.65-5.37)], sadness because of feelings of worthlessness [OR: 3.31 (2.32-4.73)] and the desire to cry without reason [OR: 3.46 (2.45-4.89)] more than 3-fold. The relationship of the victim with the perpetrator varied by the type of sexual victimization. Less than 6% of rapes were reported to the police in 2014. Conclusions: All forms of non-partner sexual violence, from unwanted sexual touching to rape, can lead to a multitude of mental health consequences. A public health approach to addressing this violence is needed.