Domestic Abuse Knowledge and Insights Within African Communities in Canada: A Quantitative Survey

Domestic Abuse [DA] is a pattern of behavior that is used to gain or maintain power and control over a partner or family member. Despite the prevalence of DA in African communities across Canada, little is known about their level of DA knowledge, or the causes and perceptions about DA in these communities. Our study sought to investigate the level of DA knowledge held by African communities in Canada, and identify what they believe to be the causes and solutions to DA. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with members of African communities in Alberta Canada. Participants were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling. A pilot tested survey questionnaire was used for data collection. Using Slovin's formula, the minimum sample size was determined to be 385 participants. Out of 478 participants, 370 (77.4%) had high DA knowledge. The association between sociodemographic variables and knowledge of DA-related behaviors was not statistically significant. Involvement of community and faith leaders was most popular for raising DA awareness, and DA education was most popular for preventing DA. Economic and cultural factors were deemed the main causes of DA, while counselling was most popular for DA intervention. The findings suggest a knowledge-attitude gap in DA awareness, emphasizing the need for education that addresses deeper sociocultural and systemic contributors to abuse. Applying a socio-ecological lens, interventions should target multiple levels of influence to be culturally relevant and effective.