Attitude toward violence and its relationship with self-esteem and self-efficacy among iranian women

Abstract

The most widespread form of violence against women is domestic violence, which is associated with social and psychological consequences. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between violence and self-esteem and self-efficacy in 496 women referred to Jahrom Women’s Clinic. Convenience sampling was performed and data were collected using the Violence Against Women Survey Questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Sherer General Self-Efficacy Scale. The prevalence of violence was 47.4%. Approximately 20.6% of the sample was subjected to physical violence and 44.2% was subjected to non-physical violence. In addition, 74.6% of women had a negative attitude toward violence, which resulted in a statistically significant relationship with their self-efficacy (p = 0.0001). Self-efficacy and self-esteem were decreased in women who reported violence (p = 0.0001). To reduce domestic violence, women’s attitudes toward their rights need to be changed to increase their self-esteem and self-efficacy through planning, counseling, and educational classes.