Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Women Experiencing IPV in Bihar

rpose Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious and pervasive social justice issue in India, especially in the state of Bihar. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), Bihar has the highest prevalence of IPV compared to every other state in India.Approximately 56 percent of women in Bihar report that they have experienced physical or sexual violence, including 62 percent of ever married women (NFHS-3). Help seeking, from formal (e.g., health professionals, law enforcement, mental health counselors) and informal (e.g., family, friends, neighbors) sources has been identified as a coping strategy that is associated with positive outcomes for survivors of IPV (Kemp et al., 1995; Mitchell & Hodson, 1983). To date, limited studies examine help-seeking behaviors among IPV survivors in Bihar. This study seeks to examine the predictors of service utilization by women who report experiencing IPV in Bihar. Methods Data for 3,818 women aged 15-49 years in Bihar were extracted from the NFHS-3. Analyses were restricted to women who reported experiencing IPV (N=2,743). Three multilevel logistic regression models were developed to predict individual and community-level factors that predict service utilization among women in Bihar experiencing violence. AIC values for the models were calculated and compared to ascertain the fit of the models given the data.Results The decision-making capabilities of the respondent and their freedom of movement outside of the home were significant predictors of help-seeking behaviors, when controlling for socio-demographic factors such as age and religion. When comparing the predictive ability of the participants’ decision-making power with their freedom of movement outside of the household, the decision-making power of the respondent was a stronger predictor of help-seeking behaviors.Conclusions  The findings of this study suggest that women with more decision-making power have greater odds of seeking services for IPV. Future research and programming should focus on additional ways of increasing women’s decision-making power and the affect that it has on IPV service utilization.