Prevalence of Sexual Violence Perpetrated by Men and Women in a community sample in Argentina

BRUERA, JORGE; BOBBIO, ANTONELLA; ARBACH, KARIN

Cape Town

Congreso; World Congress of Epidemiology 2024; 2024

International Epidemiological Association

Estado: AceptadoSexual violence (SV) is a public health problem with serious consequences for its victims. Determining the prevalence of SV perpetrated by individuals within the community is crucial to preventing these behaviors and their associated consequences. Few studies have explored the perpetration of these behaviors through self-reports in the general population. Given the lack of literature in Argentina on this topic, the objective of this study was to explore the prevalence of SV perpetration in men and women in a community sample.This was a cross-sectional exploratory study. Data were collected using a non-probabilistic online sampling method throughout the second semester of 2022. The final sample comprised 1088 adults from Argentina (77.1% women) with a mean age of 31 years (SD 9.68). SV perpetration was explored using the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Perpetration. For the analysis, the estimation of the prevalence of any form of SV was estimated. Subsequently, the occurrence of various types of SV categorized by severity was calculated. These estimations were evaluated for the total sample, and stratified by sex. Differences in the prevalence of total SV and severity categories between men and women were examined using contingency tables, the chi-squared test (x2) to evaluate independence. Risk probability was calculated through the Odds Ratio (OR) along with its 95% confidence intervals.The overall SV perpetration rate in the total sample was of 16.3% since the beginning of their sexual relationships. Concerning severity, more severe categories such as sexual contact/rape were significantly more frequent less severe ones (10.2% versus 6.2%, respectively). Regarding sex differences, men were more likely to perpetrate SV (OR=1.86, 95% IC [1.29 – 2.65]). This trend was also observed when considering severity types (x2(2)=17.76, p < .00).This study is the first in Argentina to explore the prevalence of perpetrated SV in a sample of men and women from the general population. The alarming statistics are consistent with rates reported in other countries. Overall, the results emphasize the urgency of generating empirical data obtained through validated instruments to guide the development of effective SV prevention interventions and the assessment of current sexual health policies.