Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2025

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress

Published on: July 4, 2013

Exploring spousal disparities: Age, earnings, and education as predictors of intimate partner violence in 29

Rafi Amir-Ud-Din¹, Rubina Idrees¹, Javaria Farooqui²

¹Department of Economics, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, Lahore, Pakistan.

Women'S Health (London, England)

|December 21, 2024

Abstract

Background:

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is widespread and is influenced by individual-specific factors. However, the impact of spousal sociodemographic disparities (age, earnings, education) remains understudied.

Objectives:

This study investigates the relationship between spousal sociodemographic disparities and women's IPV experiences in 29 developing countries in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa.

Design:

We used a cross-sectional design, analyzing data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series-Demographic and Health Surveys (IPUMS-DHS).

Methods:

We conducted logistic regression to assess associations between spousal disparities and four forms of IPV including less severe physical violence (LSPV), severe physical violence (SPV), emotional violence (EV), and sexual violence (SV) based on spousal age, earnings, and education disparities.

Results:

The analysis revealed that spousal education disparities are significantly associated with increased IPV odds. Women with more educated husbands faced higher odds of LSPV (OR = 1.044, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.08; p < 0.05) and SV (OR = 1.085, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.14; p < 0.01), with no significant association for SPV or EV. Larger spousal age gaps were consistently associated with a reduced probability of all IPV forms, particularly LSPV (OR = 0.765, 95% CI = 0.72, 0.81; p < 0.001) and SV (OR = 0.656, 95% CI = 0.58, 0.74; p < 0.001). Earnings disparities also played a crucial role: women earning more than their husbands faced higher odds of LSPV (OR = 1.361, 95% CI = 1.23, 1.50; p < 0.001), EV (OR = 1.573, 95% CI = 1.42, 1.74; p < 0.001), and SV (OR = 1.624, 95% CI = 1.42, 1.86; p < 0.001). When husbands earned more, women also faced higher odds of IPV, although these associations were weaker.

Conclusion:

The findings underscore the need for targeted policies to prevent IPV, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, by addressing spousal disparities in age, earnings, and education to promote gender equality.

Keywords:

IPUMS-DHS developing countries intimate partner violence sociodemographic disparities between spouses

More Related Videos

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design

Published on: May 31, 2021

Online Explorative Study on the Learning Uses of Virtual Reality Among Early Adopters

Online Explorative Study on the Learning Uses of Virtual Reality Among Early Adopters

Published on: November 22, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Relationship Formation

Relationship Formation

What do you think is the single most influential factor in determining with whom you become friends and whom you form romantic relationships? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is simple: the people with whom you have the most contact. This most important factor is proximity. You are more likely to be friends with people you have regular contact with. For example, there are decades of research that shows that you are more likely to become friends with people who live in your dorm,...

Bias in Epidemiological Studies

Bias in Epidemiological Studies

Biases can arise at various stages of research, from study design and data collection to analysis and interpretation. Recognizing and addressing these biases is essential to ensure the validity and reliability of epidemiological findings.Broadly speaking, biases in epidemiology fall into three main categories: selection bias, information bias, and confounding. A more detailed description of possible biases is:

Conduct Disorder

Conduct Disorder

Conduct disorder is a complex mental health diagnosis characterized by a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that violates societal norms, the rights of others, or age-appropriate rules. The diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder require the presence of at least three problematic behaviors within the past 12 months, with at least one occurring in the past six months. These behaviors are grouped into four categories: aggression toward people and animals; destruction of property;...

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...

Fundamental Attribution Error

Fundamental Attribution Error

According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is...

Two-Way ANOVA

Two-Way ANOVA

The two-way ANOVA is an extension of the one-way ANOVA. It is a statistical test performed on three or more samples categorized by two factors - a row factor and a column factor. Ronald Fischer mentioned it in 1925 in his book 'Statistical Methods for Researchers.'
The two-way ANOVA analysis initially begins by stating the null hypothesis that there is an interaction effect between the two factors of a dataset. This effect can be visualized using line segments formed by joining the...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Linking prenatal exposure to temperature intensity and variability to child mortality: evidence from 31 low-and middle-income countries.

Journal of developmental origins of health and disease·2026

Air pollution and under-5 child mortality: linking satellite and IPUMS-DHS data across 41 countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

BMC public health·2024

Correlates of early initiation of breast feeding and prelacteal feeding: a cross-sectional study in Sindh province of Pakistan.

BMJ open·2023

Does Childhood Experience of Interparental Abuse Shape Women's Attitude Toward Intimate Partner Violence in Their Adult Life? Evidence From 31 Developing Countries.

Journal of interpersonal violence·2022

Association of breast feeding and birth interval with child mortality in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study using nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey data.

BMJ open·2022

Troubling Trade-offs Between Women's Work and Intimate Partner Violence: Evidence From 19 Developing Countries.

Journal of interpersonal violence·2021

See all related articles