Domestic violence and constipation: an integrative review

Objective. To search the literature for evidence of a relationship between domestic violence and constipation. Methods. An integrative review was conducted using the six-step approach and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). We examined articles published between 2005 and 2015 investigating the correlation between domestic violence and constipation. The search was performed in September and October of 2015 in PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science. The selection of articles was performed in three stages: search, pre-selection, and inclusion. Results. Of 177 articles identified, 11 were included in the review. Of these 11 articles, seven were quantitative, three were qualitative, and one was mixed. Four articles focused on children and adolescents, two investigated medical knowledge regarding the relationship between domestic violence and constipation, one reviewed digestive disorders in the elderly, one evaluated the results of biofeedback for the treatment of constipated individuals with or without a history of violence, and one evaluated evacuatory disorders and correlated the result of defecography with history of domestic violence. Finally, two studies were specialist reports. Level of evidence was 1B and recommendation grade A in three studies. All studies detected a relationship between domestic violence and intestinal constipation. Conclusion. The results of the present review support a correlation between domestic violence and intestinal constipation. The investigation of this relationship is recommended in clinical practice.