Prevalence, associated factors, and experiences of intimate partner violence among women with breast cancer: a mixed-methods cross-sectional study

Intimate partner violence is a public health problem, yet studies examining intimate partner violenece specifically among women diagnosed with breast cancer remain limited. The study aimed to determine the intimate partner violence and affecting factors of women diagnosed with breast cancer. A convergent mixed-methods descriptive cross-sectional design was used. The research was conducted in the surgical oncology service of a city hospital in Türkiye between March and August 2024. The study was conducted with 213 women diagnosed with breast cancer. This study used the “Demographic Form” and “Husband Violence Against Women Scale” as data collection tools. Quantitative data were collected using the Demographic Form and the Husband Violence Against Women Scale, while qualitative data were obtained from participants’ responses to open-ended questions and analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows version 21.0. Ethics approval and written informed consent were obtained from the patients for the research. Of the women interviewed, emotional/verbal violence was self-reported by all participants; however, economic, sexual, and physical violence were experienced by 46.0%, 30.1%, and 19.3% of these women, respectively. The mean score for the Husband Violence Against Women Scale was 75.45. ± 20.01. Total scores for each woman differed significantly according to place of residence, educational level, income level, and treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy ( p < 0.05). Women from rural areas, who had lower levels of education, whose income was lower than their expenses, and who were receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy scored higher on the total violence scale score compared to women in other categories. No significant differences in total scale scores were found according to employment or surgery status ( p > 0.05). Intimate partner violence was common among women with breast cancer. Higher violence scores were associated with rural residence, lower education, financial disadvantage, and chemotherapy or radiotherapy.