Prevalence and risk factors of domestic violence against married women and their attitude toward violence: A community based, cross-sectional study, Aydin, Turkey

The objectives of the study are to determine the prevalence and risk factors of domestic physical violence against married women and the attitudes of women toward violence. The study was performed in Aydin, one of the major cities in the Aegean region of Turkey. The data was acquired from urban areas of health centers of Central Aydin Municipality. The study design was cross-sectional.  The study group size was determined as 922 by having p=0.50, d=0.05 and design effect=2 with an addition of 20%. Multistage sampling was used in the selection of the ever married women in reproductive health age from field. A questionnaire adapted from the 2003 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS-2003) was used.  The 82.8% (n=763) of the sample size could be reached. Mean age of the women was 37.95±7.82, 61.7% of them was completed primary school or less. The prevalence of physical violence was %33.4, 68.4 % of which were also exposed during pregnancy.  The prevalence of physical violence during pregnancy was 17.6%.  Lower education level and early marriage age of women were found to be the most important risk factors for domestic physical violence against women. Women are most likely to think wife-beating would be justified in cases “when the women argues (10.2%)”, “spends too much money (7.6%)”, “refuses to have sex with him (7.1%) and “neglects the children (7.1%)”. Only two percent of women agreed that wife beating could be justified if “the woman burns the food”. The domestic physical violence against women is a very important public health problem in the study area. Programs designed to address domestic violence should be performed.