Vulnerability to violence and abuse among people with disabilities

Despite increasing reports of violence against people with disabilities, little is known about this phenomenon in the Italian context. The purpose of this study was to document the self-reported prevalence of abuse in adults with disabilities. The Abuse Assessment Screen - Disability was administrated to 237 Italian individuals with disabilities (49.4% men; 50.6% women), with a mean age of 44.1 years (SD = 14.20). The prevalence of any type of abuse (traditional or disability-related) in the last year was 19.4%.The rate of traditional types of abuse (physical or sexual) was 9.7% in the last year, while for physical abuse the comparable rate was 8.0% and for sexual abuse, 1.7%. Meanwhile, the rate for any type of disability-related abuse was 9.7%; the rate of being prevented from using a wheelchair, cane, respirator or assistive devices was 3.0%, the rate of refusal of help with an important personal need was 6.8%. There were no gender differences in the prevalence of abuse reported. The results of the survey suggest that Italian people with disabilities are often victims of violence by multiple perpetrators. Therefore, primary and secondary prevention efforts should be undertaken to target specifically people with disabilities.