Dimension and Socio-demographic Correlates of Domestic Violence: A study from Northeast India

Abstract

Present study was aimed to find out dimension and socio-demographic correlates of domestic violence in Assam, Sikkim and Meghalaya, Northeast India. Two districts from each state were selected at random and women aged 18-35 years from rural and urban localities were interviewed to obtain relevant information. The study included a total of 2249 participants (Rural = 1577 and Urban = 672) from Assam (650), Sikkim (1148) and Meghalaya (451). Domestic violence was recorded in 26.4% of study participants and highest in Meghalaya. Of all types, psychological violence was predominant. A number of socio-demographic factors have been identified as independent predictors for domestic violence in pooled and state specific analysis. Findings of our study may help in formulating strategies to prevent domestic violence.

Prevalence and correlates of domestic violence in a resettlement colony of union territory of Chandigarh, India

“…According to the results of NFHS-3 multiple risk factors similar to our study results were found to be associated with Domestic violence; namely educational attainment by the female, her employment status, the employment status of the husband, alcohol consumption by the partner and demographic factors like caste and religion. 21 Similar to our study results, independent variables for gender-based violence found in a study done by Ngonga in Zambia are; alcohol abuse, income level, area of residence and gender. 24 Study by Semahegn found that alcohol consumption by husband, being pregnant, decision making power and annual income to be predictors of domestic violence in Ethiopia.…”

“…In NFHS -3 report shows that lifetime sexual violence was 9% of sample of 69704 ever-married women between the ages 15 to 49 who participated. 21 Study done in Pondicherry by George et al reported sexual violence against 13.5% of 310 participants in their study, which is much higher than our study reports. 26 Study done in Saudi Arabia by Barnawi found that violence against women ranged from being emotional (69%), social (34%), economic (26%), physical (20%), and sexual violence (10%).…”

“…In NFHS-3, among evermarried women it was found that 12% of women reported to have been kicked, dragged, or beaten up, and 2% reported that their husbands tried to choke or burn them on purpose. 21 In our study, domestic violence was significantly associated with illiteracy in women (p=0.001) and low income of women (p<0.001). NFHS-3 report showed that 44% of women with no education have experienced violence at some time since the age of 15, and 26% have experienced violence in the past 12 months.…”

“…These proportions decline with education being 14% for women who have completed 12 years of education and 6% for women who have completed more than12 years of education. 21 A study by Saradamoni et al, found that both forms of violence were inversely associated with education and employment levels of the women and their husbands. 22 In contrast to our study findings, a study done by Sinha et al, did not find any significant association between women's education or employment with domestic violence.…”

Abusive yet affectionate husbands: Conflicting perceptions of domestic violence experiences of wives living in urban slum communities of Mumbai, India

“…Studies have reported about the prevalence of IPV among women with low socio-economic and demographic profiles such as urban residence, lower education, and lower family income. 6,13,[22][23][24][25][26][27] The majority of them were housewives and financially dependent upon husbands which put them under the risk of violence. In-laws' interferences, decision-making process by husband and other family members and less time spent with each were factors contributed to DV.…”