Prevalence and 3-Year Incidence of Abuse Among Postmenopausal Women
Charles P. Mouton, MD, MS,
Rebecca J. Rodabough, MS,
Susan L. D. Rovi, PhD,
Julie L. Hunt, PhD,
Melissa A. Talamantes, MA,
Robert G. Brzyski, MD, PhD and
Sandra K. Burge, PhD
Charles P. Mouton, Melissa A. Talamantes, and Sandra K. Burge are with the Department of Family and Community Medicine and Robert G. Brzyski is with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Rebecca J. Rodabough and Julie L. Hunt are with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle. Susan L. D. Rovi is with the Department of Family Medicine, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New JerseyNew Jersey Medical School, Newark.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Charles P. Mouton, MD, MS, Department of Family and Community Medicine, UTHSCSA, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229-7795 (e-mail: mouton{at}uthscsa.edu).
Objectives. We examined prevalence, 3-year incidence, and predictorsof physical and verbal abuse among postmenopausal women.
Methods. We used a cohort of 91 749 women aged 50 to 79 yearsfrom the Womens Health Initiative. Outcomes includedself-reported physical abuse and verbal abuse.
Results. At baseline, 11.1% reported abuse sometime during theprior year, with 2.1% reporting physical abuse only, 89.1% reportingverbal abuse only, and 8.8% reporting both physical and verbalabuse. Baseline prevalence was associated with service occupations,having lower incomes, and living alone. At 3-year follow-up,5.0% of women reported new abuse, with 2.8% reporting physicalabuse only, 92.6% reporting verbal abuse only, and 4.7% reportingboth physical and verbal abuse.
Conclusions. Postmenopausal women are exposed to abuse at similarrates to younger women; this abuse poses a serious threat totheir health.
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