Socio-epidemiological study of marital violence among women’s attending health care facility of Central Delhi

Abstract

Background: Marital or domestic violence (DV) is endemic in communities and countries around the world, cutting across class, race, age, religions and national boundaries. It is defined as a pattern of coercive / controlling behaviors and tactics used by one person over another to gain power and control. The study’s objectives were to understand DV prevalence, factors associated with DV, and health and social outcomes of DV among married women. Methods: This was a healthcare facility based cross-sectional study conducted from Jan-Dec 2011among married women attending antenatal clinic and chest / ICTC clinic. The presence of DV was evaluated using a semi-structured interview designed based on the NHFS-3screening tool. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: A total of 700 subjects were included. 36% of married women reported the presence of DV. The independent risk factors for DV were belonging to non-Hindu religion (OR=1.95, CI:1.02-3.72), belonging to joint family (OR=1.52, CI: 1.08-2.14), having no daughter (OR=1.7, CI: 1.19-2.44), and ever contraceptive use (OR=1.50, CI: 1.06-2.11) in a multivariate logistic regression model. DV’s main cause was misunderstanding (46%) between the victim’s and the perpetrator. The main perpetrator was husband (81%); main support system for victim’s were parents or parental relatives (63%), while the main type of support received was emotional (92%). Headache (78%) was the most common symptom; 70% subjects were unable to carry out household activities, and 24% victim’s relationship with relatives were affected because of DV. Conclusions: The proportion of DV among the married women is high and is a common problem irrespective of the socio-economic and demographic factors. Hence there is no time for complacency and an urgent need for multisectoral coordination for its quick redressal.