IPV Service Utilization Among Married Women in India

Background and Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health problem that has deleterious implications for individuals, families, communities, and society as a whole. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), IPV encompasses physical, sexual and/or psychological harm inflicted by a current or former partner or spouse.

 IPV services, such as shelter services (Sullivan and Bybee, 1999); advocacy (Sullivan and Bybee, 1999); supportive counseling (Iverson, 2011); and screening in healthcare settings (Edelson, 2013) have been empirically documented to be effective at mitigating the harmful effects of IPV in mainstream populations. Yet, racial minorities may cope with IPV differently, seeking help from informal supports (e.g., family and friends) as opposed to formal supports (e.g., mental health services, law enforcement) (Coker, 2000).

 According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), 31 percent of married women have experienced physical violence and/or sexual violence. Utilizing data from the NFHS-3, the following study seeks to answer the following questions: (1) What proportion of survivors seek services and from whom? (2) What are barriers and facilitators to service utilization?

Methods: The NFHS-3 is a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey that used a systematic, two- stage cluster sample of households. NFHS-3 covers 99 percent of India’s population living in all 29 states. The NFHS-3 includes a sample of 124, 385 women age 15 to 49. Of these women, 83,703 were administered the domestic violence module that ascertained information on experience with IPV as well as IPV related services utilized. The NFHS-3 administered the module on violence to only one eligible woman from each household. Analyses were restricted to ever-married women (N=69,484). Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regression were performed.

 Findings: Of the 31% (21,504) of women who reported experiencing IPV, 24% (5,161) reported going to informal sources (e.g., family and friends) for IPV-related help, while only 3% (645) reported going to formal sources (e.g., police, hospital) for help. Of the women who sought informal services, 82%  (4,232) sought help for physical abuse, while 18% (929) sought services for sexual violence. Of the women who sought formal services, 100% (645) sought services for physical violence.Multivariate logistic regression suggests that women from Southern India are most likely to seek IPV related services compared to women from other regions in India. Christian women are 25% more likely to seek services than Hindu women (OR: 1.25; CI: 1.09-1.44). Women with primary education (OR: 1.31; CI: 1.03-1.24). and secondary education (OR: 1.17; CI: 1.07-1.28). were more likely to seek services than their counterparts without an education.

 Implications and Conclusions: Findings highlight that most survivors do not seek services, and when they do, it is primarily from informal sources and for physical violence. Findings emphasize the need for formal institutions (e.g., law enforcement, hospitals, social service organizations) to conduct IPV trainings for staff and personnel and community outreach. Findings also emphasize the need to educate the community regarding the many forms of IPV (physical, sexual, psychological) and the benefits of service utilization.