Alcohol-related domestic violence: a household survey in Brazil

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe situations of domestic violence committed by perpetrators under the influence of alcohol in the largest Brazilian cities. METHODS: A household survey was carried out in the 108 Brazilian cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants in 2005. A multistage probabilistic self-weighted sample stratified in terms of conglomerate units was performed in three selection stages: census tracts, households, and respondents (population between 12 and 65 years old). The instrument to collect the data was the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, with questions on sociodemographics and psychotropic drug abuse.. RESULTS: The survey encompassed 7,939 households. In 33.5% of them there were reports of domestic violence, 17.1% out of which involving intoxicated perpetrators. The most frequently reported types of violence associated with the use of alcohol were: arguments among the people in the household (81,8%), loud arguments not aimed at a specific person (70.9%), threats of assault (39.5%), and breaking households objects (38.7%). The respondents also reported physical assault (27.8%), physical assault with weapon (5.5%), and sexual abuse (3.2%). More than half of perpetrators lived in the household and 88.8% were male. Most of the victims were female (63.9%); 33.9% were wives and 18.2% were children. In terms of recidivism, 14.1% of the cases lasted for a period between 1 and 5 years, and in 14.3% they lasted for over a decade. Most of the victims (86%) and perpetrators (77.9%) did not look for the help of either the health services or the police. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the considerable number of Brazilian households with a history of violence involving intoxicated abusers, this kind of abuse has many specific characteristics. The low rate for the search for help at the health services/police stations point to the importance of actively identifying cases of domestic violence.