Intimate Partner Violence in China: National Prevalence, Risk Factors and Associated Health Problems

Although intimate partner violence (IPV) is often conceptualized as occurring unilaterally, reciprocal or bidirectional violence is actually the most prevalent form of IPV. The current study assessed physical IPV experiences in couples and evaluated risk and protective factors that may be differentially associated with reciprocal and nonreciprocal IPV concurrently and over time. As part of a multi-wave longitudinal study, women and men reported on the frequency of their IPV perpetration and victimization three times across the transition to parenthood. Participants also reported on risk factors related to personal adjustment, psychosocial resources, attitudes toward gender role egalitarianism, and sociodemographic characteristics at each wave. Participants were classified into one of four IPV groups (reciprocal violence, male perpetrators only, female perpetrators only, and no violence) based on their self-report and based on a combined report, which incorporated both partners’ reports of IPV for a maximum estimate of violence. Women and men were analyzed separately, as both can be perpetrators and/or victims of IPV. Cross-sectional analyses using self-reported IPV data indicated that IPV groups were most consistently distinguished by their levels of couple satisfaction, across gender; psychological distress also appeared to differentiate IPV groups, although somewhat less consistently. When combined reports of IPV were used, sociodemographic risk markers (i.e., age, income, and education) in addition to couple functioning were among the most robust factors differentiating IPV groups concurrently, across gender. In longitudinal analyses, sociodemographic vulnerabilities were again among the most consistent factors differentiating subsequent IPV groups over time. Several gender differences were also found, suggesting that different risk factors (e.g., women’s social support and men’s emotion regulation abilities) may need to be targeted in interventions to identify, prevent, and treat IPV among women and men.

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Individual and community-level risk factors of women’s acceptance of intimate partner violence in Ethiopia: multilevel analysis of 2011 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey

BMC Women s Health ◽

10.1186/s12905-021-01427-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Emiru Merdassa Atomssa ◽

Araya Abrha Medhanyie ◽

Girmatsion Fisseha

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Health Survey ◽

Women's Education ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Significant Risk ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Community Level ◽

State Region ◽

The Individual

Abstract Background The prevalence of Intimate partner violence (IPV) is higher in societies with higher acceptance of norms that support IPV. In Ethiopia, the proportion of women’s acceptance of IPV was 69%, posing a central challenge in preventing IPV. The main objective of this study was to assess the individual and community-level factors associated with women’s acceptance of IPV. Methods Two-level mixed-effects logistic regression was applied to the 2011 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey data. A total of 16,366 women nested in the 596 clusters were included in the analysis. Results The acceptability of the IPV was estimated to be 69%. Among the individual-level factors: women’s education with secondary and above (AOR = 0.38; 95% CI 0.29–0.52), partner’s education secondary and above (AOR = 0.71; 95% CI 0.54–0.82), women aged 35–49 years (AOR = 0.67; 95% CI 0.54–0.82), fully empowered in household level decision making (AOR = 0.67; 95% CI0.54–0.81), literate (AOR = 0.76; 95% CI 0.62–0.92), and perceived existence of law that prevents IPV (AOR = 0.56; 95% CI 0.50–0.63) were significantly associated with women’s acceptance of IPV. Similarly, rural residence (AOR = 1.93; 95% CI 1.53–2.43) and living in the State region (AOR = 2.37; 95% CI 1.81–3.10) were significantly associated with the women’s acceptance of IPV among the community-level factors. Conclusion Both individual and community-level factors were significant risk factors for the acceptability of intimate partner violence. Women's education, women's age, women’s empowerment, partner education level, perceived existence of the law, and literacy were among individual factors. State region and residence were among community-level risk factors significantly associated women’s acceptance of IPV.

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Psychosocial and substance-use risk factors for intimate partner violence

Drug and Alcohol Dependence ◽

10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2004.08.028 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 78 (1) ◽

pp. 39-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 60

Author(s):

Sherry Lipsky ◽

Raul Caetano ◽

Craig A. Field ◽

Gregory L. Larkin

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Substance Use ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Intimate Partner

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Factors Associated With Police Decisions on Immediate Responses to Intimate Partner Violence

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260517706762 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (15-16) ◽

pp. 2993-3010 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Merete Berg Nesset ◽

Johan Håkon Bjørngaard ◽

Jim Aage Nøttestad ◽

Richard Whittington ◽

Cecilie Lynum ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Police Officers ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Health Problems ◽

Violence Risk ◽

Lethal Violence ◽

Emergency Situations

Police officers are often the first responders to intimate partner violence. The aim of the study was to examine the association between structured police assessments on-site in cases of intimate partner violence, and decisions about immediate arrest of the perpetrator and/or relocation of the victim. Data were extracted from police reports on 124 emergency visits in cases of intimate partner violence perpetrated by men toward women. Six out of totally 15 items of the intimate partner violence risk assessment measure B-SAFER were used by the front line police officers as the basis for decisions on whether or not to arrest the perpetrator or relocate the victim. The six items: perpetrator violent acts, violent threats or thoughts, escalation of violence, substance use problems, mental health problems, and breach of no-contact order, were selected on the basis of their utility in emergency situations. There were increased odds of arrest on-site if the perpetrator was physically violent (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.0-7.7) or had substance problems (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI = [1.0- 5.2]). There were increased odds of victim relocation if the perpetrator had mental health problems (AOR = 7.4, 95% CI = [2.4-23.1]) or if children were present on-site (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI = [1.1- 8.6]). In contrast, escalation of violence was associated with reduced odds of the perpetrator being arrested (AOR = 0.4, 95% CI = [0.1- 0.9]) or the victim being relocated (AOR = 0.4, 95% CI = [0.1- 1.3]). The finding that the police did not immediately respond to escalation, potentially signaling lethal violence needs to be addressed.

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A multilevel analysis of contextual risk factors for intimate partner violence in Ghana

International Review of Victimology ◽

10.1177/0269758018799030 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 50-78

Author(s):

Nicholas Cofie

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Cultural Factors ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Spousal Violence ◽

Contextual Risk

While extant research suggests that context, structural socioeconomic and cultural factors matter in intimate partner violence research, quantitative research on the subject in sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular Ghana, has disproportionately focused on prevalence and individual level correlates of spousal violence. This research has ignored the role of the structural socioeconomic and cultural factors and contexts in understanding the causes and consequences of spousal violence in a setting where family life is heavily influenced by traditional norms and beliefs. These norms and beliefs may lead to inadequate and ineffective interventions geared at preventing or reducing spousal violence and its consequences. Guided by an integrated theoretical approach, this study addresses these issues by estimating a multilevel logistic regression model where the effects of both individual and community level risk factors for spousal violence are assessed. Data for the study come from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey and the Ghana Population and Housing Census. The findings confirm the salient role of structural socioeconomic and cultural factors, such as patriarchal norms and residential instability, in the perpetration of spousal violence against women. Policy implications of these findings and directions for further research are discussed.

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Prevalence and determinants of intimate partner violence against mothers of children under-five years in central Malawi

10.21203/rs.3.rs-34857/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Emmanuel Chilanga ◽

Delphine Collin-Vezina ◽

Mohammad Nuruzzaman Khan ◽

Liam Riley

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Intimate Partner Violence ◽

Young Children ◽

Sexual Violence ◽

Partner Violence ◽

Intimate Partner ◽

Children Under Five ◽

Under Five ◽

Controlling Behavior

Abstract Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a pervasive and significant public health problem. The phenomenon is linked to adverse health effects for women and children. Mothers of young children in Malawi can be particularly at risk because of gender-based power imbalances. The objectives of this study were to examine the prevalence and the risk factors of IPV perpetrated by the current or recent partner against mothers of children under five years of age in rural Malawi.Methods: A multistage cross-sectional study design was used. A sample of 538 mothers of young children was randomly selected from postnatal clinics in Dowa district. The WHO's Violence against women instrument was used to collect data. Logistic regressions were used to determine risk factors that were associated with IPV against mothers. Results: The prevalence of IPV controlling behavior, psychological, physical, and sexual violence were 74.7%, 49.4%, 43.7% and 73.2% respectively. In multivariate analyses, mothers whose partners had extra marital affairs were more likely to experience controlling behavior (AOR: 4.97, 95% CI: 2.59-8.55, P<0.001), psychological (AOR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.486-3.472, P<0.001) and physical (AOR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.48-3.94, P<0.001) violence than mothers whose partners did not have extra marital affairs. Mothers whose partners consume alcohol were more likely to experience sexual violence (AOR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.17-3.41, P<0.001) than mothers whose partners did not drink. Finally, mothers who spent more than 30 minutes drawing water were at greater risk of experiencing IPV than mothers who spent less than 30 minutes.Conclusion: This study found a significantly higher prevalence of IPV against mothers in rural Malawi compared to the national prevalence. Programs aimed at reducing the partners’ potential risk behaviors identified in this study are recommended. Public health programs that support increased household access to safe water are also recommended to help mitigate IPV against mothers.

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