El personal sanitario ante la violencia de género

Abstract

Gender violence results in immediate and long-term health problems. The present study aimed to analyze attitudes and formation on gender violence of professional health care workers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 190 health care providers in the Canary Islands. Results showed that, despite the diversity and although the majority of professionals saw gender violence as a consequence of the patriarchal society and machismo, some of them regarded it as a couple problem or thought the woman was guilty. In addition, some of them were supporting a series of myths like that gender violence was a consequence of the disease of the aggressor or of the consumption of alcohol and drugs. Less than half of the interviewed ones had carried out gender violence training.