The Scottish Government

« Previous | Contents | Next »

Listen

The Scottish Crime and Victimisation Survey ( SCVS) is a periodic survey that tracks and monitors the extent of victimisation in Scotland. The 2006 SCVS, conducted by BMRB, included a module on adults' experience of abuse from a current or previous partner. This module was conducted after the main interview using a self-completion questionnaire. In general, measures relate to respondents' experiences during the survey reference period: that is from 1st April 2005 to the date of interview (between June and December 2006). Consequently, prevalence rates of domestic abuse are reported on variable recall periods ranging from 14 to 20 months.

Findings from the main SCVS survey (including full details of the methodology) are reported separately. ¹ This paper presents the main findings from the partner abuse module.

Main Findings

• Three per cent of respondents (n=113) who had had contact with a partner or ex-partner during the reference period (3 per cent of all respondents) said that a partner had verbally threatened them or used physical force against them during this time. Prevalence rates of abuse (either force or threats) were particularly high among young women aged 16-24 (10%), those on lower incomes of less than £10,000 pa (7%), and those with children (5%). In around half of all cases of abuse, the perpetrator was the victim's current partner or spouse.
• Respondents who had been threatened were more likely than those who were victims of force to experience abuse on a regular basis (39 per cent of threat victims experienced abuse at least once a month compared with 28 per cent of force victims).
• The effects of abuse were both physical (43 per cent mentioned a physical injury ranging from minor bruising to more serious internal injuries) and psychological (42 per cent mentioned experiencing psychological/emotional problems and 23 per cent had found it harder to trust people and form other relationships).
• Only one in five victims of force by a partner had reported an incident to the police. More commonly, victims of abuse (whether force or threats) told friends, relatives or neighbours.
• Only a minority of victims of abuse considered the action to be a "crime" (32% of force victims and 25% of threat victims); however, the majority thought it at least "wrong", whether or not this was also considered a crime (69% of threat victims and 76% of force victims).

Methodology

The 2006 SCVS was carried out by BMRB Social Research between June and December 2006. The SCVS, as previous sweeps, employed a probability sample with a multi-stage stratified design and households were randomly selected from the Postcode Address File ( PAF) across the whole of Scotland. Once households had been selected, one respondent was randomly selected from all the adults aged 16+ who were resident at the address. Data has been weighted to compensate for bias arising from variability in sample selection probabilities and from non-response.

A total of 4,988 interviews were obtained with adults aged 16+, based on a 70% response rate. On completion of the main interview respondents were told that the final section was to be completed by themselves. If the respondent was unable or unwilling to complete the modules using the computer the interviewer could administer the self-completion, provided no-one else was within earshot.

4,701 adults agreed to take part in the self-completion questionnaire (a response rate of 66%).

All data presented in this report have been weighted. Unweighted base sizes have been provided beneath all tables and figures.

Full details on the 2006 SCVS methodology are provided in the separate Technical Report. ²

Partner abuse: definitions

Domestic abuse is defined differently by different agencies. The National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland draws on a more detailed definition on a gendered analysis of domestic abuse : 'Domestic abuse (as gender-based abuse) can be perpetrated by partners or ex-partners and can include physical abuse (assault and physical attacks involving a range of behaviour), sexual abuse (acts which degrade and humiliate women and are perpetrated against their will, including rape) and mental and emotional abuse (such as threats, verbal abuse, racial abuse, withholding money and other types of controlling behaviour such as isolation from family or friends)' .

The police define domestic abuse as being 'any form of physical, sexual or emotional abuse which takes place within the context of a close relationship. In most cases this will be between partners (married, cohabiting or otherwise) or ex-partners.'

The definition of abuse adopted by SCVS is somewhat narrower compared to the above, and covers specifically incidents of verbal threats and physical and sexual violence perpetrated by a partner or ex-partner of the respondent. This narrower focus has been adopted because: it focuses on instances of abuse which can be identified as crimes in accordance with police recording practices; it allows for a degree of comparison with previous survey sweeps; and there are logistic difficulties in terms of questionnaire length and complexity relating to the measurement of some aspects of the wider definition above.

Prevalence of abuse

Figure 1: Prevalence of partner abuse during reference period and ever: among respondents in contact with partner/ex-partner

Base: All having contact with partner/ex-partner during reference period (n=2933)/ever (n=3906)

'Prevalence' relates to respondents' experience of partner abuse in Scotland during the survey reference period: that is from 1st April 2005 to the interview date (between June and December 2006). Consequently, rates are reported on variable recall periods that range from 14 to 20 months.

In line with previous surveys, the rate of reporting of threats and/or force was very small - 2 per cent reported threats, 2 per cent reported force and 3 per cent reported either type of partner abuse. Only 1 per cent reported that they had been a victim of both types of abuse.

Respondents were also asked about their experience of partner abuse "ever" in order to provide a more general picture of the prevalence of such abuse. Overall, 11 per cent had experienced abuse by a partner at some point in their lives - 9 per cent had experienced force and 5 per cent threats, while 3 per cent had experienced both types of abuse.

Trends over time

Comparing trends over time is problematic for two reasons: in 2006 the survey (including the self-completion module) moved from a paper format to a CAPI format which may have affected trend results. Furthermore, a change in the reference period in 2006 means that rates are not directly comparable and the base on which estimates were calculated changed in 1999. Estimates in 1999 were based on respondents aged 16-59 while estimates from 2002 on were based on all respondents including those aged 60+. Historical trends are therefore not examined here.

Characteristics of victims

Some types of respondent were more likely to have been abused than others.

Among those in contact with a partner/ex-partner during the reference period, rates of experience of both threats and force by a partner were significantly higher among women than among men. For example, women were more than twice as likely as men to experience threats or force (4% compared with 2%).

Experience of abuse during the reference period was also skewed towards younger respondents with rates varying from only 1% among adults aged 65+ to 7% among those aged 16-24. Prevalence rates were in fact even more concentrated among young women with 10 per cent of women aged 16-24 experiencing either type of partner abuse, mostly in the form of force (9%).

Prevalence of abuse was also correlated with victimisation relating to other crimes*. Those who had been victims of other types of crime since the 1st April 2005 were significantly more likely to report partner abuse than non-victims (6% compared with 2%). Other subgroups disproportionately likely to report experience of either threats or force included those on the lowest income band and those with children in the household.

Table 1: Prevalence of partner abuse during reference period among respondents in contact with partner/ ex-partner; by demographic subgroups

* The classification of "victim" derives from information given by respondents in the main survey and relates to personal and household crimes including vandalism, acquisitive crimes, assault and robbery; it does not include self-reported mentions of partner abuse or drug misuse.

The experience of victims

The subgroup size of respondents experiencing abuse was very small (n=113 unweighted; n=82 were women and n=31 were men). Due to the sensitivity of the questions, many victims declined to answer certain questions. These respondents have been removed from the base in each table, which explains why the base sizes vary throughout the following sections.

Relationship to victim & presence of children

Results were evenly split between those reporting that the perpetrator was their current spouse or partner (50%) and those who said it was their ex-partner or spouse (50%). Perpetrators were more likely to be unmarried partners or ex-partners than spouses. Among female abuse victims, the perpetrator was less likely to be a married partner when compared with abuse victims in general.

Figure 2: Relationship of victim to perpetrator

Base: All victims (n=98)/All female victims (n=77)

Of those who had experienced force during the reference period (n=69), around two in five (38%) were living with the person at the time. Around one in five (19%) of those experiencing force said they were still living with the perpetrator at the time they completed the survey.

Compared with all victims, the proportion of female victims of force (n=51) living with the perpetrator at the time of the incident was lower (26% of female victims were cohabiting with them at the time and 11% said that they were still living with the perpetrator at the time of survey completion).

Just under half (45%) of victims had dependent children. While the base size is too small to provide an accurate measurement, findings suggest that in around half (48%) of all incidents of domestic abuse where children existed in the household, the children had been present at the time.

Frequency of abuse

Most victims reported that the abuse had occurred once every couple of months or less often (62% among victims of threats and 72% among victims of force). However, this still leaves 39 per cent of victims of threats and 29 per cent of victims of force stating that abuse was occurring on a regular basis - that is at least once a month during the reference period.

Figure 3: Frequency of abuse

Base: Victims of threats (n=43); victims of force (n=59)

Nature of force

Victims of force were asked about the type(s) of force used by a partner during the reference period.

A small majority (55%) mentioned being pushed, shoved or grabbed, while 20 per cent mentioned damage to property, and 22 per cent said something had been thrown at them. Nearly one in ten victims of force mentioned that they had been choked/strangled/suffocated, and a similar proportion had been either threatened with a weapon or other item or pressured to taken part in unwanted sexual activities.

Table 2: Nature of force

Effects of abuse

Victims were asked about the effects of the abuse they experienced during the reference period, both psychological and physical.

Table 3: Effects of abuse

Psychological and emotional problems were the most frequently cited effects of abuse, experienced by two in five victims (42%). Other psychological effects included problems with other relationships/lack of trust (23%) and more rarely suicide attempts (3%). Two in five victims (43%) suffered physical effects including minor bruising/black eyes (29%) and scratches (16%).

Use of alcohol/drugs

The findings highlight a link between partner abuse and alcohol and drug misuse. Over three in five (63%) of men and women who had experienced force (n=70) said that the perpetrator had been drinking alcohol on at least one occasion and 22 per cent said that the perpetrator had been taking drugs on at least one occasion when they had used force.

Among female victims of force (n=51), the figures were similar (66% drinking alcohol and 26% taking drugs).

Reporting of incidents

Around one in five respondents (22%) who had been a victim of force during the reference period (n=69) had reported at least one incident to the police. Among female victims of force (n=52), the proportion was slightly higher (28%).

Six in ten respondents (60%) who had been a victim of either threats or force had told someone else about the abuse they had suffered - this rose to 70% among female victims.

The majority of victims who told someone else about the abuse told personal contacts such as friends/relatives/neighbours (86%). Smaller proportions told professional contacts such as health professionals (17%), legal professionals (15%) and a counsellor/therapist (11%).

Table 4: Who victim of told about incident

Base : All who had told someone about abuse (n=65) (n=55)

Perceptions of abuse

Only about one in three force victims (32%) and one in four threat victims (25%) considered the abuse a "crime" while just under half of each subgroup considered that what had happened was "wrong but not a crime". Around one in six of each subgroup accepted what had happened regarding it as "just something that happens". Female victims were slightly more likely than all victims to view incidents as a "crime" (30% for threats and 38% for force) although the differences are not significant.

Further analysis indicates that perceptions of the incident vary according to the nature of abuse suffered, although the base sizes are very low and hence these results should be interpreted with some caution. Of the n=38 victims or force who suffered physical effects, 43% considered the incident a crime compared with 32% overall. Of the 41 force victims experiencing psychological effects, 46% considered the incident a crime.

Figure 4: Perceptions of abuse suffered

Base: Force victims (n=65); threat victims (n=57)

If you have any enquiries about social research, please contact us at:

Scottish Government Social Research

Tel: 0131 244-7560
Fax: 0131 244-5393

Email: socialresearch@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Website: www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch

This document (and other Research Findings and Reports) and information about social research in the Scottish Executive may be viewed on the Internet at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch

This document (and other Research Findings and Reports) and information about social research in the Scottish Executive may be viewed on the Internet at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch

The site carries up-to-date information about social and policy research commissioned and published on behalf of the Scottish Executive. Subjects covered include transport, housing, social inclusion, rural affairs, children and young people, education, social work, community care, local government, civil justice, crime and criminal justice, regeneration, planning and women's issues. The site also allows access to information about the Scottish Household Survey.

« Previous | Contents | Next »