A descriptive study to assess the prevalence of domestic violence among women in Urban and rural communities of Delhi and its correlation with their mental health

Abstract

Background and Objectives: In India, domestic spousal violence against women has far-reaching mental health implications. This study was conducted on women staying in the urban and rural community of New Delhi to determine the prevalence of domestic violence and mental health and to determine the factors associated with it. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional survey conducted in the urban and rural community of New Delhi, India. Simple random sampling was used to select the sample. Sociodemographic profile was collected using the self-structured questionnaire. Screening for domestic violence was done with the help of WAST (women abuse screening tool) and the self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20) was used to assess the mental health status. Analysis and Results: Analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 20.Of 920 women surveyed, half of the sample was from the rural community and half was from the urban community. Nearly half (47.2%) of the women reported one or the other types of violence, i.e., WAST ≥4. More than half (62.4%) of the women reported poor mental health, i.e., SRQ ≥8. A statistically significant association (P < 0.05) was found between domestic violence and mental health. Mental health was not found to be significantly associated with age, duration of marriage, number of children, and income. There is no significant difference in the mental health of the people staying in urban and rural areas people staying in urban and rural areas are similarly affected by domestic violence. Education was found to be significantly associated with mental health (0.012,P < 0.05). Conclusions: Findings indicated a strong association between domestic spousal violence and poor mental health and underscore the need for appropriate interventions.