Prevalence and risk factors of domestic violence and its impacts on women’s mental health in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

Domestic violence and its impacts on women’s mental health

  • Hina Hussain KIU
  • Sadiq Hussain Karakoram International University
  • Samar Zahra KIU
  • Talib Hussain, Dr. University of Baltistan, Skardu
Keywords: Domestic violence, Gilgit-Baltistan, Mental health, Prevalence, Women

Abstract

Objective: To assess the prevalence of domestic violence, associated risk factors, and its impacts on women’s mental health in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Pakistan.

Methods: This is a sequential explanatory strategy that is a mixed-method research design was conducted at Department of Behavioral Sciences, Karakoram International University Gilgit from January 2017 to June 2018 on 160 married women. Quantitative data were collected using Karachi domestic violence screening scale and mental health inventory and qualitative data were collected through interview guides. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were applied to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Married women in GB reported higher levels of domestic violence (88.8%; psychological (69.4%), physical (37.5%) & sexual (21.2%)). Abused women reported lower levels of mental health (t=3.19, p=0.00); psychological wellbeing (t=2.03, p=0.04), general positive affect (t=2.09, p=0.03), and life satisfaction (t=2.39, p=0.01) and higher levels of psychological distress (t=3.27, p=0.00), anxiety (t=3.06, p=0.00), depression (t=2.60, p=0.01), and loss of emotional/behavioral control (t=3.05, p=0.00) as compared to non-abused women. Risk factors behind domestic violence were identified as; poverty, the influence of in-laws, second marriage, stepchildren, forceful intimate relationships, husband’s irresponsibility, and addiction, and handicapped children.

Conclusions: We found higher level of domestic violence, associated risk factors, and poor mental health of abused women in GB.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.1530

How to cite this:
Hussain H, Hussain S, Zahra S, Hussain T. Prevalence and risk factors of domestic violence and its impacts on women’s mental health in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(4):627-631. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.1530

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Published
2020-05-13
How to Cite
Hussain, H., Hussain, S., Zahra, S., & Hussain, T. (2020). Prevalence and risk factors of domestic violence and its impacts on women’s mental health in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan: Domestic violence and its impacts on women’s mental health. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 36(4). https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.1530
Section
Original Articles