Factors associated with non-help-seeking among women victims of physical or sexual intimate partner violence in Peru: Findings from the National Demographic and Family Health Survey, 2017 to 2019

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the factors associated with non-help-seeking in victims of physical or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) in Peru.

METHODS

This was an analytical cross-sectional study of 3-year data from the Peruvian Demographic and Health Survey. The sample comprised women aged 18 to 49 who had experienced physical or sexual IPV at some time in their lives. The dependent variable was non-help-seeking after suffering physical or sexual IPV. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) with their 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to assess the factors associated with non-help-seeking. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was carried out in which only women who suffered physical or sexual IPV in the last year were considered.

RESULTS

Data from 15,265 female victims of physical or sexual IPV were analyzed. It was found that 57.4% did not seek help after suffering physical or sexual IPV. The main reasons for non-help-seeking included thinking it was unnecessary (42.3%) and embarrassment (14.9%). Age between 30 and 49 years old (PRa:1.15; 95%CI [1.06, 1.25]) and residing in a rural area (PRa:1.07; 95%CI [1.00, 1.13]) were associated with a higher probability of non-help-seeking. On the other hand, having a secondary education level (PRa:0.91; 95% CI [0.86, 0.97]) or higher (PRa:0.90; 95%CI [0.82, 0.99]), having a partner who drinks alcohol (PRa:0.94; 95%CI [0.89, 0.99]), having experienced physical or sexual IPV during a pregnancy (PRa:0.87; 95%CI [0.80, 0.94]), and having experienced moderate (PRa:0.81; 95%CI [0.76, 0.86]), or severe physical or sexual IPV (PRa:0.74; 95%CI [0.67, 0.82]), were associated with a lower probability of non-help-seeking. These associations were consistent in the sensitivity analysis.

CONCLUSION

Half of the women who experience physical or sexual IPV do not seek help. There are sociodemographic factors related to this non-seeking of help that are useful for identifying and prioritizing interventions to reduce IPV and improve the health status of women.

[Analysis of production, impact, and collaboration networks in scientific research in Scopus for Peru from 2000 to 2019]

Introduction

Peru is a developing country with increasing scientific production. However, it is necessary to understand the trends, impact, and collaborative networks of research to plan for policy improvements.

Objective

We analyzed the production, impact, and collaboration networks in the Peruvian scientific production between 2000 and 2019.

Methods

We did an observational analytical study. We searched Scopus for all the publications with at least one author with a Peruvian affiliation declared in the author byline. A descriptive analysis of the different characteristics, trends, and scientific collaboration was carried out. Collaboration networks were plotted using VOSviewer.

Results

Between 2000 and 2019, Peru had a total of 24 482 publications in scientific journals, with an average annual growth of 13.6%. Of the total, 70% of all the articles were cataloged as Clinical Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Only half of the articles had a Peruvian affiliation. The countries with the largest share of collaboration were the United States and Brazil, and the articles with international collaboration had the highest number of citations per publication.

Conclusions

Scientific production in Peru has increased in recent years, with a significant percentage of publications based on international collaboration and led by authors with non-Peruvian affiliations. It is necessary to strengthen collaboration ties between Peruvian and foreign institutions. Furthermore, it is essential to propitiate further research that will help solve the country's problems.

[Pulmonary actinomycosis in children: report of two Peruvian cases]

Introduction

Actinomycosis is a rare infectious disease caused by Gram-positive bacteria. The most common species is Actinomyces israelii. Among its forms of presentation, the thoracic is the least frequent.

Case presentation

We report two patients with thoracic actinomycosis, 8 and 13 years old, from different geographical areas of Peru. The first case had empyema necessitans and the second, lung consolidation and recurrent hemoptysis. Both had a certain degree of difficulty in their diagnosis but responded favorably to antibiotics and surgical treatment. The diagnosis was based on the histopathological study. However, we were not able to ascertain the species of actinomyces.

Conclusion

Thoracic actinomycosis is rare in children and presents as a parenchymal lesion with possible fistulization to the chest wall. This article is one of the few in the Peruvian literature, constituting a contribution to the knowledge of the disease and its management in pediatrics.