Domestic Violence Against Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Relationship to Demographic and Family Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study in Iran.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed increased complaints from third parties about violent conditions through social media. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of domestic violence (DV) against women following exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic and its relevance to some related factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted from July 2020 to May 2021 on married women of Babol, Iran. Eligible women entered into the study in a multi-stage cluster random sampling method. Data collection tools included demographic and family data, questionnaire HITS (Hurt, Insult, Threaten and Scream). Relationships were estimated using the Univariate and multivariate regression models.  Results: The mean age of 488 women and their spouses was 34.62 ± 9.14 and 38.74 ± 9.07, respectively. Of the total female participants, 37 (7.6%), 68 (13.9%), and 21 (4.3%) were victims of total violence, verbal abuse, and physical violence, respectively. Ninety-five women (19.5) had a history of coronavirus infection. Women who were satisfied with their income and husbands were university educated, their chances of DV were reduced by 72% (95% CI (0.09-0.85), OR = 0.28) and 67% (95% CI (0.11-0.92), OR = 0.33) respectively. Drug abuse by husbands increased the likelihood of DV by up to 4 times (OR = 4.00), and more contact with their husbands at home due to home quarantine was more than twice as likely to have DV (OR = 2.64).  Conclusion: Since the level of domestic violence was lower than before the coronavirus pandemic, it seems that most Iranian women were more under the support of their husbands during the coronavirus pandemic to endure the fear and panic caused by the pandemic. Women whose husbands had a university education and sufficient income had less domestic violence.

The Relationship between Depression and Metabolic Syndrome in the Elderly Population: The Cohort Aging Study.

Objective: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and depression are two important causes of disability in the elderly. The association between MetS and depressive symptoms in Iranian elderly is unclear. In this population-based study, we aimed at evaluating the relationship between MetS and its components with depression in Iranian elderly population. Method : This cross sectional study was derived from Amirkola Health and Ageing Project (AHAP).The participants of this study included 1560 elders over the age of 60 during 2012 and 2013. MetS was diagnosed based on Adult Treatment Panel III report and depressive symptoms according to Geriatric Depression Scale. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) based on age and gender were estimated using regression logistic model. Results: Depressive symptoms were observed in 28.7% of men and 46.2% of women. Age- and gender-adjusted OR of depressive symptoms did not show a significant difference among the participants with or without MetS. A significant association between MetS components (including waist circumference, HDL-C, fasting blood glucose, triglyceride) and depressive symptoms was observed, but this association no longer existed after age and gender adjustment. Elevated blood pressure revealed a significant relationship with depressive symptoms in men only (OR, 0.665; 95% CI, 0.469-0.943). Conclusion: Depressive symptoms were associated with blood pressure component but not MetS in the elderly population of Amirkola, Iran. This association highlights the relevance of norepinephrine signal and sympathetic nervous activity disturbance for the emergence of depressive symptoms in the elderly. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider depression in hypertensive patients, especially in men.