Influence of the characteristics of the victim, aggressor, and aggravation on the frequency of negligence against women

Abstract

Objective: to identify the frequency of negligence against girls and women in Espírito Santo, Brazil, and its association with the characteristics of the victim, the aggressor, and the aggression. Methods: cross-sectional study with 802 notifications of negligence against women between 2011 and 2018. Data were collected from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) of Espírito Santo and subjected to comparative analysis through regression of data. Poisson and multivariate analysis. Results: female negligence represented a frequency of 3% (95%CI 2.8-3.2) of notifications in the period from 2011 to 2018. This condition was more prevalent among victims aged 0 to 9 years (PR = 108.67; 95%CI 79.8 – 147.9), victims who had some disability/disorder (PR = 2.55; 95%CI 2.14 – 3.04) and who lived in an urban/peri-urban area (PR = 1.66; 95%CI 1.23 – 2.24). The characteristics of the aggressor associated with a greater occurrence of the phenomenon were: being female (PR = 7.12; 95%CI 5.64 – 8.99) and having a father/mother/stepfather/stepmother with the victim /both parents (PR = 3.83; 95%CI 3.00 – 4.89). Regarding the characteristic of the occurrence, it was having two or more people involved with negligence (PR = 1.87; 95%CI 1.41 – 2.47). Conclusions: the negligence of girls and women is a health problem with higher prevalence in more vulnerable groups. In this sense, it is essential that healthcare professionals are attentive to the notification of this condition and place the victim in a protection network, contributing to the rupture of the cycle of violence.