The relationship between domestic violence situation and awarenes with depression in women

Objective: Violence is seen as an increasing public health problem worldwide. We can see that women are most exposed to violence and that it occurs in the family in the first place. This study aimed to reveal the status of violence against women, women's awareness of violence and the relationship between violence and depression. Method: This prospective and cross-sectional study was conducted in accordance with a planning. The population of the study consisted of married women over the age of 18 living in Şanlıurfa province. 1075 women who consented to participate in the study were included in the study. It was conducted on people who met the inclusion criteria as of 09/18/2023. As a data collection tool VIIIiterat study; A questionnaire form consisting of 26 questions about sociodemographic characteristics created by the researchers by reviewing the VIIIiteratüre, Domestic Violence Awareness Scale, Domestic Violence Against Women Scale, Beck Depression Scale(BDS) will be used. SPSS 26.0 statistical package program was used for data analysis. Statistical alpha significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Results: While the mean total score of the domestic violence against women scale was 66.2±13.2, the mean physical violence sub-dimension was 10.7±1.7, emotional violence sub-dimension was 14.7±3.9, verbal violence sub-dimension was 13.9±3.8, economic violence sub-dimension was 14.1±3.2 and sexual violence sub-dimension was 12.7±2.7. According to the responses of the participants to the scale questions, emotional violence was the most common type of violence in the sample group, while physical violence was the least common type of violence. While the variables age, age of the spouse, duration of marriage and number of children show a positive and weakly significant relationship with the total score of the scale of domestic violence against women, age of marriage shows a negative and weakly significant relationship with the total IX score of the scale. The total scores of the scale were found to be statistically significantly higher in those who had arranged marriages, those with extended family type, those with poor relations with the spouse's family, those who were related to their spouses, and those whose number of marriages was more than one for themselves or their spouses (p<0.001). BDS scores were found to be significantly higher in those who had arranged marriages, those who had a poor relationship with their spouse's family and those who were related to their spouse (p<0.001; p<0.001; p=0.033, respectively). There was no significant difference between family type, the number of marriages of the individual and his/her spouse and BDI scores (p=0.270; p=0.103; p=0.130, respectively). The BDS scores were found to be statistically significantly higher in those whose spouses and themselves smoked (p=0.003; p=0.012, respectively). Those who consumed alcoholic beverages on special occasions had statistically significantly lower BDS scores than those who never consumed alcoholic beverages (p=0.040). There was no significant difference between spousal use of alcoholic beverages, self- and spousal use of addictive substances and BDS scores (p=0.052; p=0.419; p=0.209, respectively). Those who had psychiatric illness in themselves and their spouses and those who had experienced domestic violence in themselves and their spouses had statistically significantly higher scores (p<0.001). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the incidence of violence was found to be higher in those who were younger than 20 years of age, in the laborer group by occupation, in those with low monthly family income, in those who spent most of their lives in villages and towns, in those who had arranged marriages, in those with extended family type and in those who were related to their spouses. Depressive symptoms were found to be higher in those who were unemployed/housewife. Depressive symptoms decreased with increasing education level. Depression scores were found to be statistically significantly higher in those with insufficient monthly family income, those who had arranged marriages, those who were related to their spouses, and those who had poor relations with their spouses' families. No significant difference was found between family type, the number of marriages of the individual and her/his spouse and the BDS scores. Keywords: Violence, Domestic Violence Against Women Scale, Beck Depression Scale