Community stakeholders' views on reducing violence against women in Pakistan

Education and Intimate Partner Violence Among Married Women in Nigeria: A Multilevel Analysis of Individual and Community-Level Factors

Research has documented an inverse relationship between lifetime intimate partner violence (IPV) and a woman's educational accomplishment. Moreover, women without formal education were more likely to report lifetime IPV in comparison with women who completed more than 12 years of education. Therefore, this study examines the individual and community-level factors that determine the degree of IPV vis-à-vis women's education. Data set of currently married women were extracted from 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. The study employed three levels of statistical analysis. The result of the analysis reveals that the nature of IPV differs due to women's educational status. Women with the highest level of education experienced the least of all the three IPV indicators identified in this study. A significant relationship exists with women's education and ever experienced physical violence (primary odds ratio [OR] = 1.29; secondary OR = 1.44, higher OR = 0.71). The ORs of ever experienced sexual violence decrease as women's education increases (secondary OR = 1.10, higher OR = 0.63). The higher significant effect of husband/partner who drinks alcohol on all the three indicators of IPV was affirmed (p < .01). Except for community labor participation, all other community variables were significant with emotional violence and sexual violence (p < .05). The study established that both individual and community factors influence the incidence of IPV in the study area. The study concludes that women empowerment alone cannot reduce the incidence of IPV as revealed in the study; community sensitization about the consequences of IPV on the health of women and the well-being of the family should be intensified.

Possible Role for Imagery-Based Therapy in Managing PTSD in Pakistani Women Experiencing Domestic Abuse: A Pilot Study Using Eidetic Therapy

Domestic abuse of women is a serious problem worldwide that has economic, physical, and psychological consequences, yet in many countries and cultures, victims often have little access to psychological support. Using a pre-post design, we investigated the effects of psychological intervention using an imagery-based therapy in women showing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from spousal domestic abuse. Forty women, referred from outpatient clinics in Pakistan and meeting inclusion criteria, underwent individual trauma counseling for 10–12 weeks using the principles of Eidetic Therapy, an imagery-based therapy that circumvents heavy reliance on verbal skills and narratives. Women showed significant reductions in PTSD by the end of treatment. Predictors of treatment gains included type of abuse, PTSD level at the outset of therapy, and years in the relationship. Neither economic resources or literacy, nor abuser or victim characteristics, predicted the amount of improvement. In conclusion, therapy was associated with a reduction in PTSD symptoms regardless of literacy level of participants. This reduction in PTSD was notable because, unlike many situations involving spousal abuse, these women were generally not in a position to leave their relationship, and hence the women might have experienced continued exposure to abuse. Context/cultural-based explanations for these findings are presented and discussed.