Epidemiological study of socio-demographic and cultural determinants of domestic violence, among married women

Introduction: Domestic violence against women is a serious public health concern in every community and culture (Hyman I 2000). It has drawn attention from the medical community because it has a negative and harmful impact on the mental, physical, and social health of women (Heise L et al 1999) (Jewkes R 2002),( Diaz O.2002) and (Keeling J 2004). The world health organization reports that the proportion of women who had ever experienced physical or sexual violence or both by an intimate partner ranged from 15% to 71%, with the majority between 29% and 62% (who 2007). The domestic violence is a complex issue to research as the extent and forms of its occurrence remain largely hidden and there is a great degree of social acceptance of the issue. Obejctives: To study socio cultural & demographic factors related to domestic violence and to assess help seeking behaviour. Methods and material: A cross sectional study was conducted among class IV workers colony, JJH hospital campus Mumbai. A semi structured questionnaire was used to collect information about violence and other variables. Statistical analysis: chi square test of significance using open epi software. Results: The prevalence of domestic violence was 52%.Out of this physical violence constituted 9.7%, psychosocial violence constituted 66%, economic violence constituted 14.6% and combined violence was 9.7%.The socio-demographic variables like age, education, employment, duration since marriage, family composition were found to be significantly associated with domestic violence. Conclusions: The social, demographic, cultural, economic factors limit women’s response to violence.