Intimate Partner Violence Experiences, Prevalence, and Risk Factors in Rural South-Central Nepal

The relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) experience and negative health consequences is well-established by the literature. Many of the health impacts associated with IPV experience are the same ones the Nepal Nutrition Intervention Program – Sarlahi, a community-based maternal and child health research organization in rural south-central Nepal, seeks to address. This research was undertaken to understand experiences of IPV and the populations with greatest burden of IPV in this study site. A mixture of both qualitative and quantitative methodology was used to achieve these aims. Eight focus group discussions (FGDs) with men and women were used to develop the context of knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about gender, marriage, and partner violence in the community. To understand the impact of IPV on women who have experienced it, in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with 25 IPV survivors. These interviews included descriptions of marital conflict, violent behaviors, disclosure, and help-seeking. Finally, data from 1,000 women across the study area were collected using a community-based survey. The survey contained items related to demographic and social characteristics of the respondent and her family, her reproductive and mental health, her experience of lifetime and recent IPV, injuries and other impacts from such experiences, and disclosure and help-seeking behaviors. The burden of IPV experience in the study area was high, with 53% of women surveyed having experienced violence perpetrated by their husbands at some point in their lives. Risk factors varied across violence types, but characteristics of respondent’s husbands, particularly childhood IPV exposure, were more strongly associated with violence experience than characteristics of respondents or their households. FGDs and IDIs revealed a disconnect between the perceived severity of IPV in the study area compared to the actual experiences of survivors. Social stigma was described as a significant barrier to help-seeking. When help was sought, friends, family, and neighbors were the most common sources. Interactions with formal sources (such as police) were rarely used and ineffective when engaged. Future interventions likely to be feasible and effective in the study area include group-based training and workshops that integrate gender equity messaging