A comparison study of domestic violence in Hunan, China.

This study investigates domestic violence in various geographic settings, age
and family groupsin Hunan, China. Using a multi-stage sampling strategy,
9,451 households involving 32,720 persons in urban, rural and industrial areas
were surveyed. A lifetime history of family violence was reported by 1,533 households (16.2%). A total of 1,098 households (11.6%) reported at least one incident of family violence in the previous year. The lifetime prevalence of spousal,
child, and elder abuse was 10.2%, 7.8%, and 1.5%, respectively. The prevalence
of domestic violence varied by geographicsettings and family compositions. The
prevalence of domestic violence in urban, rural, and industrial areas was 17.3%,
5.8%, and 25.0%, respectively. The lifetime odds of spousal and child abuse were
significantly higher among industrial district and urban households as compared to rural households. This pattern was reversed, however, for elder abuse,
which was significantly less common in urban and industrial areas, as compared
to rural areas. These differing patterns may reflect, to some degree, the changing demographic patterns and development in China. In urban areas, the families
are increasingly living in nuclear family arrangements. In rural areas, extended
families (including the elderly) are still the norm. Households composed of
remarriages, couples with one child, and multigenerational families were twice
as likely to report a history of family violence as couples with no children.