scholarly journals Dowry Demand and other Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence Against Adolescent Girls: A Cross-sectional Study in India

Author(s):  
Shobhit Srivast ◽  
Pradeep Kumar ◽  
Manideep Govindu ◽  
Muhammad T

Abstract Background: Violence against women is considered a fundamental violation of women’s human rights. According to the World Health Organization, worldwide one-third of women experience some form of intimate partner violence. The present study aims to examine the association of dowry demand and other associated risk factors with physical, sexual, or emotional violence against married adolescent girls in two major states of India by using large representative data.Methods: Understanding the lives of adolescents and young adults (UDAYA) project survey data was used for this study. The effective sample size for the study was 4893 married adolescent girls. Descriptive statistics along with bivariate analysis was performed to examine the preliminary results. For analyzing the association binary logistic regression method was used.Results: The prevalence of emotional, physical, and sexual violence was 28.6%, 22.9%, and 26.1% among married adolescent girls respectively. About 44% of married adolescent girls experienced any type of violence (emotional/physical/sexual). The prevalence of violence was significantly higher among girls who reported that dowry was demanded by their husbands (emotional-54%, physical-42.1%, sexual-39.6%, and any violence-68.4%). Results show that the likelihood of any violence was 3.66 times more likely among adolescent girls who reported that dowry was demanded by their husbands than their counterparts [OR: 3.66; CI: 3.06-4.37]. Other risk factors for intimate partner violence among adolescents included justifying wife-beating, low decision-making power, having a paid job, and longer marital duration.Conclusion: The results presented in this study suggest that policies that ensure equal inheritance and property rights for women and programs that help adolescent girls retain equal power and say in their family may be necessary to reduce their vulnerability to domestic violence.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caleb L Ward ◽  
Siobán D Harlow

Abstract Background Thirty percent of all women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the World Health Organization’s (WHO) novel R.E.S.P.E.C.T framework for intervention and IPV prevalence among women in Kenya. Methods We used the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS). Only women selected for the domestic violence module and who were married/living with their partner were eligible for this study (n=3,737). We created a summary score for each strategy denoted by R.E.S.P.T based on availability of questions addressing these strategies in the KDHS, and a total score that summed responses across all strategies. Each letter was assessed with Cronbach’s Alpha. Multiple logistic regression models were used to investigate the relationship between R.E.S.P.T scores and IPV.Results All strategies except for E lowered the odds of IPV. Decision-making (R) was negatively associated with experiencing IPV (OR = 0.62 [0.53-0.72]). Land and property ownership (E) were positively associated with experiencing IPV (OR = 1.25 [1.08-1.43]). Access to health care (S) was negatively associated with experiencing IPV (OR = 0.55 [0.48-0.63]). Higher levels of wealth (P) were negatively associated with experiencing IPV (OR = 0.47 [0.37-0.62]). Not justifying wife-beating in any scenario (T) was negatively associated with experiencing IPV (OR = 0.39 [0.29-0.53]). After adjusting for demographics, a 1-unit increase in total R.E.S.P.T score was negatively associated with experiencing IPV (AOR= 0.63 [0.57-0.70]) with a similar finding for IPV in the past 12 months (AOR = 0.59 [0.53-0.66]). Younger age, higher education, and Muslim religion were associated with decreased odds of experiencing IPV while living in a rural location and working were associated with increased odds of experiencing IPV.Conclusions Our study provides initial evidence that by implementing the multi-strategy R.E.S.P.E.C.T framework, countries can dramatically lower the odds of women experiencing IPV. The DHS can be used as a tool to monitor implementation and efficacy of this novel strategy.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110014
Author(s):  
Doris F. Pu ◽  
Christina M. Rodriguez ◽  
Marina D. Dimperio

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.


Author(s):  
NV Roopesh Gopal ◽  
SV Sathish Kumar ◽  
Kiran S Bhat

Introduction: An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Those who are in such a relationship may experience violence from partners which may affect their day-to-day quality of life and thus cause a burden on the family. Aim: To assess the relationship between Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) with Quality of life and to provide early interventions. Materials and Methods: Hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Psychiatry, Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences (KoIMS) teaching hospital Madikeri, Karnataka. The subjects were recruited by purposive sampling method. A total of 5810 consecutive subjects who visited the psychiatry OPD from March 2017 to June 2019 were assessed and among them, 82 subjects both men and women in the age group of 18 to 60 years were recruited. All of them reported IPV on the Hurt, Insulted, Threatened, and Screamed (HITS) scale and were further assessed for Quality of life using the World Health Organisation Quality of Life BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) scale. Descriptive statistics were used for continuous variables. A Nonparametric Chi-square test was applied for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney U scores were used for quality of life variables. The correlation was done using Pearson’s correlation. Results: Mean age was 36.04 in years (SD±11.28) having a mean of 7.5 years of schooling (SD±4.5). The majority belonged to the rural background and lower socioeconomic status. Out of 82 subjects, 21 subjects reported IPV score less than 10 (25.60%) and among the rest of the 61 (74.39%) subjects, 80.32% were females and 19.67% were males who had IPV scores of more than 10. The study subjects reported poor and very poor scores in their overall quality of life and very dissatisfied and dissatisfied in their health domain. IPV also correlated with reduced quality of life, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: People that experience IPV has an overall reduced quality of life. Routine clinical assessment needs to be done to provide early interventions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (21) ◽  
pp. 3226-3244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syeda S. Jesmin

Informed by the social determinants of health (SDH) framework, this study examined whether women’s attitudinal acceptance of intimate partner violence (IPV) varies according to material circumstances, such as characteristics of their communities. Data were obtained from the sixth Bangladesh Demographic Health Surveys (BDHS) of 2011, a cross-sectional and secondary population-based study that covers the entire population residing in noninstitutional dwelling units in Bangladesh. The sample included 16,480 married women living in 600 communities who were 15 to 49 years old. Results showed that community characteristics were significantly associated with married women’s attitudes toward IPV. The associations, however, were considerably more complicated than previously thought. Community poverty and wife beating justification were inversely related, such that regardless of their socioeconomic status (SES), living in poorer communities increased women’s likelihood of condemning IPV ( p < .001). Also, unexpectedly, as illiteracy increased in the community, women’s likelihood of viewing IPV as justified decreased ( p < .01). Living in communities with strong patriarchal norms was associated with greater tolerance for IPV ( p < .001). Use of the SDH framework in this study provided empirical evidence of the importance of social determinants in determining risk for attitudinal acceptance of IPV among women, which can be targeted for future research and intervention.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caique Veloso ◽  
Claudete Ferreira de Souza Monteiro

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the consumption of alcohol and tobacco by women and the occurrence of intimate partner violence against women. Method: a cross-sectional and analytical study with 369 women in the age group of 20 to 59 years, attended in Basic Health Units of five municipalities of Piaui, Brazil. The instruments used in data collection were Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Non-Student Drugs Use Questionnaire and Revised Conflict Tactics Scales. Data were analyzed according to descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis with Pearson's chi-square test and logistic regression. Results: the overall prevalence of intimate partner violence against women was 64.0%, 61.5% of whom were victims of psychological aggression, 33.6% of physical abuse and 17.1% of sexual coercion. In addition, 50.1% and 17.9% of the women reported alcohol and tobacco consumption, respectively, which were statistically associated with the occurrence of intimate partner violence. Alcohol consumption increased by 2.15 times the chance of intimate partner raping (p=0.001, 95% CI=1.37-3.38), while smoking increased this chance by 2.04 times (p=0.038, 95% CI=1.04-4.00). Conclusion: high prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use by women and intimate partner violence were identified. In addition, it was found that the consumption of these substances by women is a risk factor associated with the occurrence of intimate partner violence in the female universe.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. e046069
Author(s):  
Caleb L Ward ◽  
Siobán Harlow

BackgroundThirty per cent of all women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the WHO’s novel R.E.S.P.E.C.T framework and IPV among women in Kenya.MethodsWe used the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS). Only women selected for the domestic violence module and who were married/living with their partner were eligible for this study (n=3737). We created a summary score for the strategies denoted by R.E.S.P.T based on availability of questions addressing these strategies in the KDHS, and a total score that summed responses across all strategies. Each letter was assessed with Cronbach’s alpha. Multiple logistic regression models were used to investigate the relationship between R.E.S.P.T scores and IPV.ResultsAll strategies except for E lowered the odds of IPV. Decision-making (R) was negatively associated with experiencing IPV (OR=0.62 (0.53 to 0.72)). Land and property ownership (E) were positively associated with experiencing IPV (OR=1.25 (1.08 to 1.43)). Access to healthcare (S) was negatively associated with experiencing IPV (OR=0.55 (0.48 to 0.63)). Higher levels of wealth (P) were negatively associated with experiencing IPV (OR=0.47 (0.37 to 0.62)). Not justifying wife-beating in any scenario (T) was negatively associated with experiencing IPV (OR=0.39 (0.29 to 0.53)). After adjusting for demographics, a 1-unit increase in total R.E.S.P.T score was negatively associated with experiencing IPV (AOR=0.63 (0.57 to 0.70)) with a similar finding for IPV in the past 12 months (AOR=0.59 (0.53 to 0.66)). Younger women, higher education and Muslim religion were associated with decreased odds of experiencing IPV while living in a rural location and working were associated with increased odds of experiencing IPV.ConclusionsOur study provides initial evidence that by using the multistrategy R.E.S.P.E.C.T framework, countries can dramatically lower the odds of women experiencing IPV. IPV prevention strategies must have a wide approach. The DHS can be used as a tool to monitor implementation and efficacy of this novel strategy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (10) ◽  
pp. 2298-2303
Author(s):  
Tazeen Saeed Ali ◽  
Neesha Hussain ◽  
Shah Zeb ◽  
Asli Kulane

Objective: To understand the perceptions of women about the influence of dowry customs on their marital life and on intimate partner violence (IPV) in a marriage. Method: This was a cross-sectional study on married women of reproductive age in Karachi, Pakistan between 2008 and 2009. Data was collected through a reliable questionnaire developed by World Health Organization, which was validated at local context and has been translated in to Urdu and then back translated in to English. Results: This study found that women whose marriages were decided conditionally on the provision of dowry to the groom’s family reported it to have had a positive impact on marital life (aOR: 11.5). Consenting to a marriage was positively associated with positive marital life (aOR: 36.8), as was the case when the marriage was contingent on dowry to be given to the groom’s family (aOR: 10.4). Provision of a dowry was not protective from physical (aOR: 3.7), sexual (aOR: 3.7), or psychological violence (aOR: 8.9). Conclusion: Dowry practices exist in Pakistani culture, despite the fact that dowry wives experience IPV. However, women perceive that the provision of dowry to groom’s family has a positive impact on marital life. In the immediate future, to protect women in and entering into marriage, there should be a strengthening of women’s organizations to provide legal, social and medical supports to women in need as well as the training of medical and paramedical professionals to recognize and respond to IPV.  Continuous...


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 984-1003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syeda S. Jesmin

One-third of the women worldwide experience intimate partner violence (IPV) that increases their vulnerability to both short- and long-term physical, sexual, reproductive, and mental health problems. Surprisingly, IPV is justified by many women globally. Although the IPV literature to date is mostly focused on risk factors associated with actual occurrences, little is known on attitudinal acceptance of such violence. Also, despite the growing scholarship of community influence and health link, IPV research has relatively overlooked the effects of norms at the community level. Using a representative national sample of 13,611 married women in Bangladesh, this study examined the association of community attitudes and women’s individual attitudes toward wife beating. The results revealed that women living in communities with permissive attitudes toward wife beating were more likely to justify husbands’ beating (OR = 4.5). Women married at a younger age, who had less than primary-level education, lived in households categorized as poor or middle class, and did not consume media appeared to be at higher risk for justifying wife beating. This research adds to a growing research body on community influences on health by examining IPV attitudes and community norms link.


Author(s):  
Emily Wright ◽  
Brandon Valgardson

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious problem that affects many individuals and crosses national borders, religions, gender, sexual orientation, racial, and ethnic groups (Harvey, Garcia-Moreno, & Butchart, 2007; Krug, Mercy, Dahlberg, & Zwi, 2002). The World Health Organization has defined intimate partner violence as any behavior that inflicts harm on an intimate partner, such as a spouse, prior spouse, or partner. This harm can be physical, psychological, or sexual in nature and is inflicted through physical aggression, psychological abuse, sexual coercion, or other controlling behaviors (Krug et al., 2002). At times, the terms domestic violence and partner/spouse abuse are used interchangeably with the term intimate partner violence (Harvey et al., 2007). Historically, intimate partner violence was seen as a matter to be dealt with in the home (Andrews & Khavinson, 2013); that is, it was largely considered a private issue between intimate partners. As such, little attention or support was extended toward victims of violence. The women’s rights movement during the 1970s brought many of the deleterious effects of IPV to the attention of the public. As a result, assistance became increasingly available for victims (Dugan, Nagin, & Rosenfeld, 2003). Some of the efforts to provide assistance to victims of IPV include mandatory arrest laws, victim advocacy, counseling services, shelters, and crisis hotlines. Substantial efforts have been made to provide needed services to the victims of IPV, yet the exact rates of victimization are unknown. This is due to different research methodologies and operationalizations of IPV that are used across studies. For instance, there is some controversy as to whether IPV should be measured by acts of violence (e.g., hitting, choking) or the severity of injuries (e.g., bruises, broken bones). Complicating the issue is the fact that different sampling methods may yield different estimates of IPV. Research drawn from the general population, for instance, may uncover higher rates of less severe IPV, while purposive samples drawn from domestic violence shelters may yield higher rates of severe IPV (Johnson, 2008). Measurement challenges also occur because many individuals underreport or misrepresent their victimization. Thus, research that incorporates multiple study designs and sampling techniques, indicates that approximately 16% of adults in the United States experience IPV victimization each year (Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Misra, Selwyn, & Rohling, 2012). Social scientists have used a number of theories to better understand IPV. These theories include feminist theories, power theories, social learning theories, and personality theories. Research grounded in these theories has found many risk factors that are related to the likelihood of victimization and perpetration. Additionally, various risk factors for IPV perpetration and victimization have been identified, including individual (e.g., alcohol abuse, anger), historical (e.g., abuse as a child), and demographic (e.g., cohabitation, age) factors (Stith et al., 2000; Stith, Smith, Penn, Ward, & Tritt, 2004). Recently, behavioral scientists have begun to investigate the biological and genetic factors related to IPV perpetration (Barnes, TenEyck, Boutwell, & Beaver, 2013; Hines & Saudino, 2004). Because there are many short- and long-term negative effects of IPV victimization, scholars and advocates continue to explore new avenues to increase understanding of IPV perpetration and victimization to better assist victims and perpetrators. Currently, the main sources of help for victims of IPV include mandatory arrest laws, domestic violence shelters, crisis hotlines, civil protection orders, victim advocacy, treatment programs, and informal means of assistance. However, each of these resources has demonstrated varying degrees of effectiveness for increasing victim support and reducing repeated victimization.


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