Intimate Partner Violence and Gender Role Attitude as A Predictor of Mental Health Among Women

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Gender role Attitudes (GRAs) predict mental health in women. Further, it was hypothesized that there will be a significant difference between IPV victims and non-victims with reference to their GRA and mental health. For this purpose, a data of 115 (IPV victims=56, IPV non-victim=59) women (married/ separated /divorced /widow), aged between 18 to 45 years (M=30.88, SD=5.18), was collected using mixed sampling method, including convenient, purposive and snow ball sampling techniques. Participants belonging to different educational levels and occupations, were approached through both online and in-person means. The scales used in the research were the Gender Role Attitude Scale (Kamal & Saqib, 2004), Karachi Domestic Violence Screening Scale-Urdu (Hassan & Malik, 2009), and Mental Health Continuum-Short Form Scale- Urdu version (Faran et al., 2021). Multiple linear regression showed that IPV and GRA significantly predict mental health. Also, t-test depicted IPV victims have more traditional GRA and poor mental health than non-victims. There is a need for law enforcement agencies, influencers, and other professionals to take action to shift GRAs and eliminate IPV, which will ultimately lead to improved mental health