Medicine
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This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty
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Item A Study on victims of intimate partner violence reported to Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Sri Lanka during 2019-2021(Academic Forensic Pathology International, La Jolla, CA, 2022) Muthulingam, T.; Edirisinghe, P.A.S.; Wijewardhane, H.P.; Thivaharan, Y.; Jayasundara, M.M.S.; Borukgama, N.; Kulathunga, D.L.; Alwis, D.N.; Govinnage, P.S.; Kitulwatte, I.D.G.Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a common issue in any society and the reported cases are just the tip of an iceberg as most of the victims are reluctant to come to the criminal justice system. Forensic experts are often encountering the victims who chose to seek justice. Evaluation of the nature, consequences, and underlying factors are needed in planning preventive measures. Objectives: To describe the patterns and associated factors of IPV among victims who reported to Office of the Judicial Medical Officer of Colombo North Teaching Hospital and to specifically describe the patterns prior and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study based on 471 medicolegal records of the victims who had undergone medicolegal examination following IPV during last two years (March 2019 to February 2021). Results: Out of 471, 206 cases were reported prepandemic and 265 reported postpandemic periods. Even though majority were females there were 21 males. Types of abuse were complex and often interrelated. There were 463 who had experienced physical injuries while there were 20 who had been subjected to sexual violence. Face was the commonest target of assault (63%). Substance abuse was identified as the commonest predisposing factor (56%). Even though repeated abuse was common, 42.5% of the victims had never made any complaints to the police. Despite multiple complains, 39.7% had experienced repeated violence. Conclusion: Victims of IPV are silently suffering for many long years. Failure in the response from authorities was identified. COVID-19 pandemic has become an additional risk factor for IPV. Strengthening of legal and social responses is the need of the hour.Item Prevalence of intimate partner violence across urban, rural and estate sectors: A preliminary study(College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 2021) Reyal, H.P.; Perera, M.N.; Guruge, D.INTRODUCTION: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women continues to be a silent health problem in Sri Lanka. Studies on IPV across different socio-demographic divisions are limited, thus uniform approaches are used to address IPV despite the varying prevalence across different study settings. OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence of IPV across the urban, rural and estate sectors through a study conducted in Nawalapitiya Medical Officer of Health (MOH) Area. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was designed to conduct with 701 ever-married women aged 15-49 years using a multistage cluster sampling method. A pre-tested interviewer-administered-questionnaire was used to assess the abuse experienced by the participants during lifetime and past twelve months in the form of physical, psychological, sexual acts and controlling behaviours. Bivariate analysis was performed to compare the prevalence of IPV among the three sectors. RESULTS: The response rate was 85.6% (n=600). Lifetime prevalence of physical (n=237; 39.5%), psychological abuse (n=234; 39.0%) and controlling behaviours (n=188; 31.3%) were high among everpartnered women. Estate women reported more abuse (n=143; 79.4%), physical (n=110; 61.1%), psychological (n=99; 55%), sexual abuse (n=29; 16.1%) and controlling behaviours (n=62; 34.4%) compared to urban and rural women. CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS: IPV prevalence significantly differed across sectors. IPV was highest in the estate sector followed by urban and rural sectors. Designing of IPV intervention should focus on different sectors. The contributory factors within the sectors should be explored and addressed. KEYWORDS: Physical abuse, Psychological abuse, Sexual abuse, Women, Sri Lanka