Association between intimate partner violence and suicide of women residents of Campinas-Brazil: case-control study

The study aimed to verify the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and suicide among women living in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil in 2019. This is a population-based case-control study that used information from the Death Certificate and the semi-structured verbal autopsy questionnaire. Adjusted multiple logistic regression was performed to verify the differences. Of the 19 cases, the majority were white/yellow women (57,89%), with an average age of 38,69 years, without a partner (57,89%), not working (68,42%), with a higher prevalence of IPV (68,42%), recreational alcohol use (42,10%) and living in regions with a lower Municipal Human Development Index (MHDI = 0,7704). Risk factors for female suicide were having suffered IPV; recreational use and problematic use of alcohol; prescribed use and problematic use of antidepressants. On the other hand, having a job, being older and having a higher MHDI were protective factors. This study sheds light on the association between IPV and female suicides, highlighting the importance of health services joining forces to reduce both phenomena.

Key words:
Suicide; Risk factor; Violence against women; Women’s health