Physical, mental and sexual abuse among the married women in south eastern Iran, 2009

Family violence is an aggressive behavior happening among some couples. According to WHO reports، familial violence against women is a health priority and has many complications. This study investigated the physical، mental and sexual violence exposure among the married women in reproductive age in Zahedan، Iran. This cross sectional study carried out on 354 married women living in Zahedan city in 2009. The data was collected through interview and by using a valid and reliable questionnaire. At first، the subjects were categorized based on violence exposure level، and then the data were analyzed using descriptive statistic and chi square test. P-value<0. 05 was considered statistically significant. The results showed that the exposure prevalence with physical، mental and sexual violence was 5. 4%، 20. 9% and 9. 7%، respectively. The educational level of husband، number of children and age of marriage were related to all three types of violence (P<0. 04) and ethnicity، educational level and husband''s job were related to physical and mental violence (P<0. 05). Additionally، mental and sexual violence were associate with monthly income of family (P<0. 05). It seems that violence exposure among Zahedanian women is more than expected. That is probably due to low Socio-economic statues and illiteracy