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Physical Violence Against Women by Their Partner: A Latent Class Measurement and Causal Analysis from Rural Counterparts of Dakshin Dinajpur District, India

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Abstract

Background

This study examined a hypothesised relationship between a couple’s behavioural and cultural attitudes and the severity of physical partner violence among the ever-married women (aged 15–49) who inhabited rural parts of Dakshin Dinajpur district, West Bengal, India.

Method

A total of 182 sample women were included in the final causal path model which was one form of advanced Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach. This study also accounted for some latent construction models based on some allied indicator variables before establishing the final causal path model. Direct effects, indirect effects (mediation effect) in connection with direct effects and total effects of the exposures were estimated to test the hypothesised model.

Result

Results revealed that wives’ violence supporting attitudes (standardise β, 0.10; P < 0.001), partner’s domineering attitudes (standardise β, 0.29; P < 0.001), patriarchal family norms (standardise β, 0.39; P < 0.001), communication dysfunction (standardise β, 0.53; P < 0.001) and introvert attitudes (standardise β, 0.17; P < 0.001) all are some positive predictors for severe physical partner violence. Patriarchal family norms mediating with partner’s domineering attitudes can increase (standardise β, 0.55; P < 0.001) the severity of physical partner violence. In addition, an indirect positive association also has been established between wives’ introverted attitudes in combination with communication dysfunction (standardise β, 0.43; P < 0.001) on the severity of physical partner violence.

Conclusion

The study findings suggest that more socialization, life-long learning and skill development, stimulating positive behavioural attitudes and strengthening voice and representation for rural women are very much required to break the contemporary undesirable ambience.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Raiganj University, Uttar Dinajpur, Raiganj, West Bengal, India

    Tanu Das, Partha Das & Tamal Basu Roy

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  1. Tanu Das
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Correspondence to Tamal Basu Roy.

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Das, T., Das, P. & Roy, T.B. Physical Violence Against Women by Their Partner: A Latent Class Measurement and Causal Analysis from Rural Counterparts of Dakshin Dinajpur District, India. Glob Soc Welf 9, 229–240 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-022-00242-x

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