Female autonomy and intimate partner violence: findings from the Zimbabwe demographic and health survey, 2015

Structural Relationship Model of Basic Psychological Needs With Intimate Partner Violence: The Mediating Role of Gender Discrimination and Self-Esteem

Intimate partner violence (IPV) encompasses a range of abusive behaviors within intimate relationships. This study examines the structural relationships between basic psychological needs and IPV victimization among Iranian women, shedding light on the complex factors contributing to IPV and potential avenues for intervention. Data were gathered from a sample of 306 Iranian women who had experienced IPV, utilizing the Domestic Violence Questionnaire, the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction Scale, the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The findings supported the appropriate fit of the proposed model and revealed that basic psychological needs exerted significant direct and indirect effects on IPV victimization, mediated through self-esteem and ambivalent sexism. These results provide valuable new insights into the complex dynamics of IPV victimization and hold promise for the development of targeted interventions aimed at preventing IPV and supporting the well-being of affected individuals. Furthermore, the interpretation of the findings has been revised to avoid any implication of victim-blaming, aligning with the aim of understanding and addressing the structural factors contributing to IPV victimization.

Development of the Vietnamese Rape Myths Acceptance Scales: A Web-Based Survey of Young Adults

Rape myths-false but widely held beliefs that serve to deny and justify sexual aggression-present a major barrier to reporting and prevention of sexual violence in Vietnam and globally. Based on a parent study aimed at reducing sexual violence at two universities in Hanoi, we developed and assessed a contextualized measure of rape myths among young people in Vietnam. Items from previously validated rape myth acceptance (RMA) scales and data from qualitative research informed the development of 50 items, which were administered to Vietnamese 18-24-year-olds (n = 2,756 total, n = 1,798 cisgender women) via an anonymous link in February 2021. We used factor analysis to explore and test factor structure and multi-group factor analysis to assess measurement equivalence across gender. We calculated item-level discrimination and difficulty parameters and visualized information curves using item response theory analysis, informing the development of a short form. Four hypothesized subconstructs identified in the qualitative data emerged as factors: (1) "He didn't mean to"; (2) "She asked for it"; (3) "It wasn't really rape"; and (4) "Rape is a deviant event." A fifth factor, "She didn't protect herself," included four items from formative data. Confirming formative findings and prior literature, cisgender women had lower RMA than cisgender men, particularly on items related to victim-blaming. The Vietnamese Rape Myths Acceptance Scales were internally consistent and equivalent between cisgender men and women, capturing elements specific to the Vietnamese context and providing a tool for campus climate surveys and evaluations of sexual violence prevention programs.

Association between the survey-based women's empowerment index (SWPER) and intimate partner violence in sub-Saharan Africa

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is high among women of reproductive age in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, empowering women enables them to confront and mitigate IPV. In this study, we examined the association between the survey-based women's empowerment index (SWPER) and IPV in SSA.

METHODS

We used data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 19 countries conducted from 2015 to 2021. Our study was restricted to a weighted sample of 82,203 women of reproductive age who were married or cohabiting. We used spatial maps to show the proportions of women who experienced past-year IPV. A five-modelled multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was adopted to examine the association between SWPER and IPV. The results were presented using the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with their respective 95% confidence interval (CI). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

With physical and emotional violence, the country with the highest prevalence was Sierra Leone, with a prevalence of 39.00% and 38.97% respectively. Rwanda (10.34%), Zambia (11.09%), Malawi (15.00%), Uganda (16.88%), and Burundi (20.32%) were the hotspot countries for sexual violence. Angola (34.54%), Uganda (41.55%), Liberia (47.94%), and Sierra Leone (59.98%) were the hotspot countries for IPV. A high SWPER score in attitudes to violence significantly decreased the odds of IPV [AOR = 0.70; 95% CI = 0.66, 0.75]. Also, women with medium score in decision-making were less likely to experience IPV compared to those with lower scores [AOR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.83, 0.95]. However, higher odds of experiencing IPV was found among women with medium score in autonomy compared to those with low scores [AOR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.14].

CONCLUSIONS

Our study has shown that the three dimensions of SWPER significantly predict IPV among women. Consequently, it is crucial that sub-Saharan African countries implement various initiatives, such as IPV advocacy programs and economic livelihood empowerment initiatives. These initiatives should not only aim to improve women's attitudes to domestic violence but also to enhance their social independence, autonomy, and decision-making capacity.

Women's Autonomy and Anemia in Children under Five Years of Age: A Peruvian Population-Based Survey

To determine the association between women's autonomy and the presence of childhood anemia in children under five years of age in Peru, a cross-sectional study utilizing data from the 2019 Demographic and Family Health Survey was carried out. The study employed generalized linear models with a Poisson distribution and log link function. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) were calculated, along with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI), to assess the association of interest. A total of 15,815 women and their children under five years of age were analyzed. The prevalence of childhood anemia was 30.4% (95%CI: 29.5-31.3%), while the proportions of low, moderate and high autonomy of the mothers were 44.5%, 38.4% and 17.1%, respectively. Children under five years of age of women with a low level of autonomy were more likely to have anemia (aPR: 1.10; 95%CI: 1.00-1.21). Three out of ten children under five years of age suffer from anemia, and four out of ten mothers have a low level of autonomy. A low level of women's autonomy was associated with a higher probability of anemia in children under 5 years of age.

Exploring the association between attitudes towards wife beating and intimate partner violence using a dyadic approach in three sub-Saharan African countries

OBJECTIVE

The present study examines the association between attitudes towards wife beating and intimate partner violence (IPV) using a dyadic approach in three sub-Saharan countries.

SETTING

We use data from the most recent Demographic and Health Survey cross-sectional studies which were conducted between 2015 and 2018 in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe PARTICIPANTS: Our sample comprised 9183 couples who also had completed the information on the domestic violence questions and our variables of interest.

RESULTS

Our results indicate that women in these three countries are generally comparatively more inclined to justify marital violence than their husbands or partners. In terms of IPV experience, we found that when both partners endorsed wife beating, the risk of experiencing IPV was twice as likely after controlling for other couple-level and individual factors (OR=1.91, 95% CI 1.54-2.50, emotional violence; OR=2.42, 95% CI 1.96-3.00, physical violence; OR=1.97, 95% CI 1.47-2.61, sexual violence). The risk of IPV was also higher when the women alone endorsed IPV (OR=1.59, 95% CI 1.35-1.86, emotional violence; OR=1.85, 95% CI 1.59-2.15, physical violence; OR=1.83, 95% CI 1.51-2.22, sexual violence) than when the men alone were tolerant (OR=1.41, 95% CI 1.13-1.75, physical violence; OR=1.43, 95% CI 1.08-1.90, sexual violence).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings confirm that attitudes towards violence are perhaps one of the key indicators of IPV prevalence. Therefore, to break the cycle of violence in the three countries, more attention must be paid to attitudes towards the acceptability of marital violence. Programmes tailored to gender role transformation and promote non-violent gender attitudes are also needed.

Determinants of spousal physical violence against women in Zambia: a multilevel analysis

BACKGROUND

Violence against women and girls is a major public health issue, a violation of human rights, and is linked to a number of harmful effects on one's physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health. Studies conducted in other parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) suggest that there is an association between contextual factors and experience of intimate partner violence. However, in Zambia, this association is not well documented. Thus, this study was conducted to examine how individual and community-level characteristics influence spousal violence against women in Zambia.

METHODS

Data from the most recent Zambia Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2018 was used. A sample of 7,358 ever-married women aged 15-49 years was used in the analysis. Two level multilevel binary logistic regression models were employed to examine the association between individual and contextual-level factors and experience of spousal violence.

RESULTS

The prevalence of spousal physical violence against women in Zambia was 21.1% [95% CI, 19.8, 22.5]. Women aged 15-19 [aOR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.34-4.14] and 20-24 [aOR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.38-3.22], who did not own mobile phone [aOR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.10-1.69], and had low decision making autonomy [aOR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.01-1.54] were more likely experience spousal physical violence. Furthermore, communities which had a low proportion of women with decision making power [aOR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.26-2.19] were more likely experience spousal physical violence. Additionally, women whose partners' drank alcohol [aOR = 2.81, 95% CI = 2.30-3.45] and those whose partners exhibited jealous behaviour [aOR = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.88-3.21] were more likely to experience spousal physical violence.

CONCLUSION

Both individual and community-level factors influenced spousal physical violence in Zambia. Integrating community level factors when designing interventions to address gender-based would be key to reduce women's vulnerability to gender based violence in the country. There is need to re-evaluate and re-strategize current strategies being implemented to address gender based violence in the country to make them context specific.

Understanding the Geography of Victimization: A Spatial Analysis of Intimate Partner Violence in India

Most studies on intimate partner violence (IPV) and its drivers have focused on individual-and household-level characteristics of the victim. Recent studies have acknowledged that it is a community-level phenomenon, using spatial analytical methods to analyze community-level determinants of IPV and its geographic dimensions. Such studies provide mixed evidence on the impact of different factors and need to be supplemented by similar studies-particularly in South Asian countries where IPV is common. The present study examines district-level variations in the incidence of various forms of IPV and identifies its determinants in India, a fast-growing South Asian country with poor gender indicators. The study combines data from the National Family Health Survey, District Level Household Survey, and the decadal Census. It applies spatial analytical methods such as the Global Moran's I, Getis-ord statistic, and Multivariate Local Geary to determine the nature of the spatial distribution of different categories of IPV. Spatial regression models are used to identify the community-level predictors of each category of IPV. The study finds non-random overlapping spatial clusters in the eastern part of India. The study also finds that neighborhoods characterized by low empowerment levels, and with a high child sex ratio, road connectivity, and proportion of socially marginalized groups are more likely to exhibit high levels of all types of IPV-although the impact of these determinants varies across districts. Furthermore, spill-overs in the incidence of IPV between neighboring districts are also observed. The study concludes by recommending the use of localized policies, rather than broad national or state policies, in reducing IPV.

Education and Intimate Partner Violence Among Married Women in Nigeria: A Multilevel Analysis of Individual and Community-Level Factors

Research has documented an inverse relationship between lifetime intimate partner violence (IPV) and a woman's educational accomplishment. Moreover, women without formal education were more likely to report lifetime IPV in comparison with women who completed more than 12 years of education. Therefore, this study examines the individual and community-level factors that determine the degree of IPV vis-à-vis women's education. Data set of currently married women were extracted from 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. The study employed three levels of statistical analysis. The result of the analysis reveals that the nature of IPV differs due to women's educational status. Women with the highest level of education experienced the least of all the three IPV indicators identified in this study. A significant relationship exists with women's education and ever experienced physical violence (primary odds ratio [OR] = 1.29; secondary OR = 1.44, higher OR = 0.71). The ORs of ever experienced sexual violence decrease as women's education increases (secondary OR = 1.10, higher OR = 0.63). The higher significant effect of husband/partner who drinks alcohol on all the three indicators of IPV was affirmed (p < .01). Except for community labor participation, all other community variables were significant with emotional violence and sexual violence (p < .05). The study established that both individual and community factors influence the incidence of IPV in the study area. The study concludes that women empowerment alone cannot reduce the incidence of IPV as revealed in the study; community sensitization about the consequences of IPV on the health of women and the well-being of the family should be intensified.

Women's Autonomy and Intimate Partner Violence in Peru: Analysis of a National Health Survey

To assess the association between women's autonomy and intimate partner violence (IPV) against women of childbearing age. Secondary analysis of the 2019 Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES-acronym in Spanish) was carried out. The study population was women aged 15-49 years who are currently married or living with a partner. A Poisson family generalized linear regression model was estimated to calculate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) for the association between women's autonomy and IPV with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI). Data from 18,621 women were analyzed. The highest proportion of women had low autonomy (low: 42%; moderate: 39.2%; high: 18.8%). A prevalence of IPV of 40.1% was found (psychological/verbal: 38.8%; physical: 8.8%; sexual: 2.3%). The adjusted model found that women with a low level of autonomy (aPR: 1.15, 95%CI: 1.01-1.31) had a higher prevalence of IPV compared to women with high autonomy. This association was also found for the specific case of psychological/verbal violence (aPR: 1.15, 95%CI: 1.01-1.31). No association was found between women's level of autonomy and physical or sexual violence by a partner. Four out of 10 women of childbearing age have experienced IPV in the last 12 months. In general, women with lower levels of autonomy are more likely to present IPV compared to women with high autonomy.

Associations between depressive symptoms, socio-economic factors, traumatic exposure and recent intimate partner violence experiences among women in Zimbabwe: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Population-based research on the cumulative effects of socio-economic conditions and trauma exposures, particularly women's experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) on their mental health in Zimbabwe, has been limited.

AIM

Our study aimed to determine the associations between depressive symptoms and socio-economic factors, IPV, and traumatic exposures among a nationally representative sample of women from Zimbabwe.

METHODS

Data was collected from 2905 women who volunteered to participate in a survey that had a multi-stage random sampling design. Depression was measured using the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD). Traumatic exposures included childhood trauma, life events, and experiences of IPV in the past year. We compared mean depression scores for different categories of variables, conducted linear regression modelling to investigate the bivariate and multivariate associations between variables and depressive symptoms' outcomes, and applied Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to investigate the inter-relationships between variables and depressive symptoms' outcomes.

RESULTS

Fifteen percent of women self-reported depressive symptoms (CESD score ≥ 21). Higher depressive symptomatology was associated with lower socio-economic status, experiencing IPV, history of childhood and other traumatic events, experiencing non-partner rape, and HIV positive status. Women who could find money in an emergency and sought informal or professional emotional support were less at risk of severe depressive symptoms. Conversely, seeking informal and formal social support was positively associated with more severe depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

This study contributes evidence showing that economic hardship, exposure to traumas including IPV, living with HIV, and low social support have a cumulative negative toll on mental health among Zimbabwean women from the general population. Programmes and services that respond to the mental ill-health effects reported by Zimbabwean women and prevention interventions that tackle the multiple risk factors for depression that we have identified must be prioritised.

Magnitude and determinants of intimate partner violence against women in East Africa: multilevel analysis of recent demographic and health survey

BACKGROUND

Violence against women is a significant public health problem, and human rights abuse, and is associated with multiple adverse physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health effects. The current study aimed to determine the magnitude of intimate partner violence (IPV) and its determinant factors in East African countries.

METHODS

We utilized the most recent demographic and health survey data from 11 East African countries, which was comprised of a weighted sample of 55,501 ever-married women. A multilevel multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied. We used an adjusted odds ratio with a 95% CI and a p value ≤ 0.05 in the multilevel logistic model to declare significant factors associated with IPV.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of all forms of IPV in East African countries was 32.66% [95% CI 32.27, 33.05], with the highest IPV occurring in Uganda (14.93%) and the lowest IPV recorded in Comoros (0.87%). In the multivariable multilevel logistic regression model, women's education, residence, sex of household head, current pregnancy, husband drinking alcohol, attitude towards wife-beating husband controlling behavior, and women's decision-making autonomy were significantly associated with IPV.

CONCLUSION

The risk factors noted above increase the likelihood of a woman experiencing IPV. Therefore, we recommend establishing effective health and legal response services for IPV, raising awareness of the existing legislation service and improving its application, strengthening legislations on purchasing and selling of alcohol, strengthening joint (both husband and wife) decision-making power by empowering women, improving the educational level of women, and establishing measures to break the culture of societal tolerance towards IPV.

Prevalence and determinants of wife-beating in Bangladesh: evidence from a nationwide survey

BACKGROUND

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health concern, with women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bearing a disproportionately high burden. This study investigates the prevalence and factors correlated with attitudes regarding wife-beating among Bangladeshi women in urban-rural contexts.

METHODS

A sample of 13,033 urban women and 51,344 rural women data from the Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019 were analyzed using the Chi-square test and ordinal logistic regression model.

RESULTS

The findings reveal that arguing with her husband is the widespread reason for wife-beating in Bangladesh (urban: 17.3%, rural: 21.9%), followed by neglecting the children (urban: 12.7%, rural: 15.8%). About 8% of urban women and 10% of rural women favoured the opinion that refusing to involve sexual intercourse is a legitimate justification for wife-beating. In comparison, around 5% feel that a husband has a right to beat his wife due to burning food. The respondents' age, education, marital status, number of children, socioeconomic level, any health or physical difficulty, having problems becoming pregnant, and the husband's age are all significant factors in justifying wife-beating.

CONCLUSIONS

Bangladesh has a massive challenge in eliminating IPV. Women from lower socioeconomic classes, low levels of education, other challenges, and residents of rural areas are particularly more vulnerable than their urban counterparts. Therefore, it is vital to develop a proper action plan that considers women's education and occupation to raise awareness of the various implications of wife-beating in women, particularly in Bangladesh's rural areas.

Does gender inequality matter for access to and utilization of maternal healthcare services in Bangladesh?

There is a high prevalence of gender gap in Bangladesh which might affect women’s likelihood to receive maternal healthcare services. In this backdrop, we aim to investigate how gender inequality measured by intrahousehold bargaining power (or autonomy) of women and their attitudes towards intimate partner violence (IPV) affects accessing and utilizing maternal health care services. We used Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) data of 2014 covering 5460 women who gave birth at least one child in the last three years preceding the survey. We performed logistic regression to estimate the effect of women’s autonomy and their attitude towards IPV on access to and utilization of maternal healthcare services. Besides, we employed different channels to understand the heterogeneous effect of gender inequality on access to maternal healthcare services. We observed that women having autonomy positively influenced attaining five required antenatal care (ANC) services (AOR: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.98–1.41) and women’s negative attitudes towards IPV were positively associated with five ANC services (AOR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.02–1.97), sufficient ANC visits (COR: 1.55; CI: 1.19–2.01), skilled birth attendant (SBA) (AOR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.05–1.94) and postnatal care (PNC) services (AOR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.12–1.84). Besides, rural residency, religion, household wealth, education of both women and husband were found to have some of the important channels which were making stronger effect of gender inequality on access to maternal healthcare services. The findings of our study indicate a significant association between access to maternal healthcare services and women’s autonomy as well as attitude towards IPV in Bangladesh. We, therefore, recommend to protect women from violence at home and mprove their intrahousehold bargaining power to increase their access to and utilization of required maternal healthcare services.

Economic violence against women: A case in Turkey

The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting the exposure of women in the 15–59 age group in Turkey to economic violence by their husbands/partners. The micro data set of the National Research on Domestic Violence against Women in Turkey, which was conducted by the Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies, was employed in this study. The factors affecting women’s exposure to economic violence were determined using the binary logistic regression analysis. In the study, women in the 15–24, 25–34 and 35–44 age group had a higher ratio of exposure to economic violence compared to the reference group. Women who graduated from elementary school, secondary school, and high school had a higher ratio of exposure to economic violence compared to those who have never gone to school. Women’s exposure to physical, sexual and verbal violence was also important factor affecting women’s exposure to economic violence. The results obtained in this study are important in that they can be a source of information for establishing policies and programs to prevent violence against women. This study can also be a significant guide in determining priority areas for the resolution of economic violence against women.