Beyond 1 in 3: Getting the most out of population-based statistics on the prevalence of violence

Beyond 1 in 3:

Getting the most out of population-based statistics on the prevalence of violence.

Assoc Prof. Janet Fanslow, MNZM Prof. Tracey McIntosh, MNZM Dr Ladan Hashemi

Funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

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Good quality family violence data is vital to accurately estimate the impact of family violence on the victims, their families and the

community, and to better direct policy and resources.

The measurement of family violence is required for

• planning, implementation and evaluation of preventative measures

• to identify precursors to a violent event

• to understand the long term outcomes for those who are victims of family violence; and

• to monitor trends in family violence over time.

Why do we need data?

(Gulliver and Fanslow, 2012)

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Data sets maintained by government and NGO agencies for monitoring resource use and for policy development and implementation.

Administrative data sets are influenced over time by

• internal changes in policy and practice,

• external factors such as changed practice by other organisations, and

• by changing social norms.

These sources of variability mean that administrative data sets are likely to always have limitations in terms of interpreting trends over time.

Administrative Data

(Gulliver and Fanslow, 2012)

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Population-based surveys may provide the best opportunity to derive an estimate of the population prevalence of family violence.

• They can be divided into two categories:

• general population-based surveys that include specific questions or modules on family violence (e.g. NZCVS), and

• surveys specifically undertaken to measure family violence.

Population-based

surveys

(Gulliver and Fanslow, 2012)

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NZ Violence Against Women (VAW) Study:

Methods and Sample Size (2003)

Door-knocking at randomly selected houses, n=6,174

Face-to-face interviews with one randomly selected woman from each household

Interviewed 2,855 women aged 18-64, in two regions (Auckland, North

Waikato), 67% Response rate

Funded by the Health Research Council of NZ

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In Aotearoa New Zealand

1 in 10 women older than 15 years experienced

sexual assault by a non-partner

In Aotearoa New Zealand

1 in 7 older than 15 years experienced physical violence by a non-partner

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Date

In Aotearoa New Zealand:

1 in 4 girls experienced child sexual abuse

before the age of 15 years

Date

In Aotearoa New Zealand: 1 in 3 women

have experienced physical and/or sexual

intimate partner violence (IPV) in their

lifetime

Indicators of Mental Distress by lifetime experience of IPV

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

SRQ Scores >7 Suicidal Thoughts (ever)

Suicidal Attempts (ever)

Percentage

Indicator of Mental Distress

No phys viol

Moderate phys viol Severe phys viol

Physical Health Problems by lifetime experience of IPV

Poor/v poor health Probs, usual activ-

ities Probs walking Pain Memory Vaginal Discharge

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

40 No phys

viol

Moderate

Severe

Who did you tell and who helped (2003 data)

No One Family Friends/

Neighbours Police Dr/Health

Worker Counsellor Women's

refuge/NGO Relogious/local

leaders Others 0

10 20 30 40 50 60

23

55

49

13 13

17

4 3 3

41

38

31

8 7

11

4 2

8 Who did you tell Who helped

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NZ VAW Study: Methods and Sample Size (2003)

Door-knocking at randomly selected houses, n=6,174

Face-to-face interviews with one randomly selected woman from each household

Interviewed 2,855 women aged 18-64, in two regions (Auckland, North

Waikato), 67% Response rate

Funded by the Health Research Council of NZ

Timeline: NZ Family Violence Study, He Koiora Matapopere

– Funding, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (2015  )

– Identification of validated measures prevalence & of risk and protective factors (2016 )

– Pre-testing the survey instrument (2016  )

– Ethics approval (pre-test & full survey) (2016 ) – Data collection

(2017, 2018, finished March 2019

– Data analysis and reporting (We have started!)

– Policy engagement

(Started and continuing)

New Zealand Family Violence Study (2015 -2019)

Overall objective: to measure the population prevalence of family violence

• For

• Females and males, aged 16 years and over

• First time ever

• Males

• Includes 65 yrs and older

• Measures of economic abuse, use of electronic media for abuse

• Including better measures of

• Disability

• Adverse childhood experiences

• Help-seeking:

• Who told about the violence/who helped

• Agencies contacted and perceived helpfulness

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Findings will provide information on

• Any changes in prevalence rates since 2003 (for women aged 18-64 years)

• Risk and Protective factors

• e.g. ,

• Attitudes about relationships/acceptability of use of violence within relationships

• availability of family support, community engagement

• Better information on experience of violence and links with chronic disease

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Academy on Violence & Abuse www.avahealth.org

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Data collection regions

Northland

Kaitaia to Mangawhai Auckland

Matakana to Pukekohe Waikato

Pukekohe to Putaruru, &

Raglan to Coromandel

49 interviewers

Participant flow diagram Approached to participate

in the study (n=9568)

All HH members speak a foreign language = 110

Dwelling destroyed = 26 Dwelling inaccessible = 404 Dwelling vacant = 330 Entire HH absent for extended period =

140

No HH member home = 522 Total eligible household

(n= 8036)

Household refused to participate (n=1804, 22.44%)

Household agreed (to give info to determine if there was an

eligible participant in the household) n=6232

No eligible person = 1070 Selected person incapacitated = 92 Selected person speaks foreign language=

109

Selected person not at home = 251

Total eligible persons (n= 4710)

Selected person refused (n= 1767, 37.51%)

Selected persons agreed (n= 2944, 62.27%)

Incomplete interview = 55 Final sample size =

2888

9,568

Selected person agreed:

N=2,888 (63%)

8,036 6,232

4,710

Who have we spoken to?

/representativeness

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21

NZ Population and Survey sample by age

16-29 30-49 50-69 70+

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

25.3

31.6

28.8

13.52 12.7

33.32

36.86

16.29

NZ Population Survey Sample

NZ Population and survey sample by ethnicity

European Maori Pacific Asian MELAA

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

71

12

6

11

1 70

11

6

13

2

NZ Population Survey Sample

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– Informing the development of appropriate population based interventions

– Could help us monitor the effectiveness of

• central government legislation changes,

• policies and strategies

designed to affect change in violence exposure.

Long term goal

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Acknowledgements

• To the study participants

• The study

interviewers

^• Dr Pauline Gulliver

• The project team, Patricia Meagher-Lundberg Debbie Waayer

The funder: Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

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FANSLOW JL, ROBINSON EM.² Helpseeking behaviours and reasons for help-seeking reported by a representative sample of women victims of intimate partner violence in New Zealand, Journal of Interpersonal

Violence. 25 (5): 929-951, 2010.

FANSLOW JL, ROBINSON EM.² Violence against women in New Zealand:

Prevalence and health consequences. New Zealand Medical Journal, 117 (1206), 1173-1184, 2004.

FANSLOW JL, ROBINSON EM,² CRENGLE S,² PERESE L. ² Prevalence of child sexual abuse reported by a cross-sectional sample of New Zealand women. Child Abuse and Neglect, 31(9); 935-945, 2007.

Gulliver, P., Fanslow, J. (2012). Measurement of family violence at a population level: What might be needed to develop reliable and valid family violence indicators? Auckland, New Zealand: New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse, The University of Auckland.

References

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