Experience and impact of gender-based violence in Honiara, Solomon Islands: a cross-sectional study recording violence over a 12-month period.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to collect data on the experience and impact of gender-based violence experienced by women attending health clinics in Honiara, Solomon Islands. METHOD: Any woman over the age of 18 who attended a local health clinic in Honiara, Solomon Islands during the time of recruitment (ten consecutive weekdays in May 2015) was eligible to participate in an interviewer administered, in-person survey, gathering data on gender-based violence over the past 12 months. RESULTS: A total of 100 women were recruited into this study. Of these women, 47% of women reported experiencing physical or sexual violence in the past 12 months. The most common perpetrators were the woman's husband or boyfriend. There are low rates of reporting, particularly through formal avenues such as to police or village leaders. Alcohol was involved in more than half the cases of reported violence. CONCLUSION: Women in this study report high rates of gender-based violence. To our knowledge, this is the only study examining women's personal experience of gender-based violence in the Solomon Islands, with self-reported data on the frequency and nature of the violence, and the impact on women, including physical and mental, utilisation of healthcare services, police and legal involvement. Efforts to reduce gender-based violence should aim to reduce intimate partner violence, increase reporting and address wider social attitudes towards gender equality.

Socio-demographic predictors of unintended pregnancy and late antenatal booking in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

BACKGROUND: The Solomon Islands is a Pacific nation with a maternal mortality of 114 per 100 000 births. Around 57% of pregnancies are unintended and only 15% of women attend their first antenatal visit in the first 12 weeks as recommended by the World Health Organization. AIMS: We sought to examine the socio-demographic predictors of unintended pregnancy and late antenatal booking (>18 weeks) among women attending antenatal care in Honiara. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2014 to May 2015 we undertook a cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire on women presenting to the National Referral Hospital and community clinics in Honiara for antenatal care. RESULTS: Of 1441 women, 41.0% of pregnancies were intended, 55.7% were ambivalent and 3.3% were fully unintended. Unintended pregnancy was significantly associated with being unemployed (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.45, P = 0.024), being a teenager at first intercourse (aOR 1.53; P = 0.004), shared family planning decision making (aOR 0.54; P = 0.006) living with a husband (aOR 0.31 P < 0.001) and a short interpregnancy interval (OR 4.48, P ≤ 0.001). Late booking occurred in 1168 (84.7%) women and independent predictors of this included ambivalent or unintended pregnancy (aOR 1.74, P = 0.005) and multiparity (aOR 2.05, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Unintended pregnancy and late antenatal booking remain a challenge to improving maternal health in the Solomon Islands. Investments in family planning could target reproductive health education and post-partum family planning. Improving the quality of antenatal care as well as addressing social determinants of health, including gender equity, education and employment of women, is required if maternal mortality is to be reduced.

Should we screen for misophonia in patients with eating disorders? A report of three cases.

In this case report, the authors describe three cases of misophonia in people with eating disorders. Misophonia is a condition where a specific trigger sound provokes an intense emotional reaction in an individual. Case 1 is a 29-year-old with childhood eating issues, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa whose trigger was a high-pitched female voice. Case 2 is a 15-year-old diagnosed with anorexia nervosa after misophonia onset. Her trigger was people chewing and eating noisily. Case 3 is a 24-year-old woman who presented with anorexia nervosa prior to misophonia onset. Her trigger was the clinking and chewing of her mother and aunt eating cereal. All three cases identified an eating-related trigger sound with a violent aversive reaction and coping mechanisms involving eating avoidance or having a full mouth. Misophonia may be associated with presentations of eating disorders. This case report adds to the literature about the presentation of misophonia.