[Differential perception of gender violence by Romanian immigrants resident in the metropolitan area of Madrid]

Abstract

Introduction: Battered women have poorer health. Immigrant women have a higher risk of suffering abuse by their partner, with the most frequent type being psychological abuse. A large percentage of the population living in the health district of Coslada are of Romanian origin, therefore we designed a study aimed at determining whether there are differences between Spanish and Romanian women regarding the perception of different types of violence, expecting to find significant differences.

Material and methods: A total of 93 people (61.26% Romanian) were included in the study, and who were given a questionnaire with sociodemographic variables, family APGAR, and a questionnaire on perceptions of behaviors related to gender violence. Descriptive statistics and a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed on the results.

Results and conclusions: Nearly 30% of women from Romania and 10% of Spanish respondents were considering or had considered being victims of abuse. According to the data, the Romanian-born women in the sample identified easier those behaviours involving physical or sexual violence easier; while, like Spanish women had more difficulty recognizing psychological violence.

Keywords: Immigration; Inmigración; Maltrato a la mujer; Psychological violence; Sexual violence; Spousal abuse; Violence against women; Violencia contra la mujer; Violencia psicológica; Violencia sexual.