Exploring knowledge and perceptions of domestic violence among medical students and physicians in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

Introduction. Domestic violence is one of the most widespread human rights violations in the world. The health sector plays a vital role in preventing domestic violence, helping to identify abuse early, providing victims with the necessary treatment, and referring them to appropriate care. The paper aims to explore the level of knowledge and perceptions in the field of domestic violence among current and future physicians in the Republic of Moldova, in order to assess their educational needs.

Material and methods. In order to achieve this goal, an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study based on a survey of 832 medical students, residents, and doctors from Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy and medical institutions from the Republic of Moldova was performed. For this purpose, a confidential questionnaire focused on assessing the level of medical staff's knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes in the field of domestic violence was used.

Results. The study results highlight the limited knowledge of the respondents about concept of domestic violence, its forms, the role and distinct elements of the health system's response to such cases, reporting duties, vulnerable groups of victims, and their legal protection measures. Only 21.5% of respondents were able to identify all the characteristics and the definition of domestic violence, 7.4% recognized all forms of violence, 10.9% were able to outline legal protection measures, and 33.8% were able to recognize cases where reporting to law enforcement is mandatory. The analysis of perceptions showed that medical respondents are still influenced by some stereotypes regarding the roles of men and women in society–similar to other members of society, though to a lesser extent.

Conclusions. Current and future medical doctors in the Republic of Moldova strongly need to be trained in order to strengthen their capacity to adequately respond to cases of domestic violence. The study results can be used as evidence-based proposals for enriching existing training programs or designing new ones to support healthcare practitioners in the proper management of domestic violence cases.