Police-reported family violence: are there differences amongst South Asian Australians and Australian-born Australians?

Figures & data

Table 1. Data extracted for each family violence report.

Category	Variable extracted from dataset
Demographic factors	Age of AFM
	Gender of AFM
	Country of birth of AFM
	Country of birth of respondent
	LGA of incident
Revictimisation	By same respondent
	By different respondent
AFM factors	Mental health problems
	Isolated
	Visa dependency
Respondent factors	Mental health problems
	Previous violent offence charge
	Previous physical violence towards anyone
	Unemployed
Relationship factors	Financial problems
	Presence of children
	Reside together
	Recently separated
	Abuse lasted for more than a month
	Recent escalation of violence
	History of family violence between AFM and respondent
Factors associated with severe outcomes	Jealous and controlling respondent
	Respondent ever threatened to harm or kill AFM
	Respondent physically violent whilst AFM pregnant
	Respondent ever or attempted to strangle/choke AFM
	Respondent ever sexual assaulted AFM
	Respondent ever stalked or harassed AFM

Note: AFM = affected family member; LGA = Local Government Area.

Table 2. Re-victimisation by AFM in the 12 months following reference incident.

	South Asian born		Australian born		χ^2	p	OR	95% CI
	N	%	N	%
Any FVR	80	21.1	271	36.1	25.36	<.001	0.48	[0.36, 0.64]
Same IPV dyad	68	22.3	244	40.0	28.36	<.001	0.46	[0.34, 0.62]
Same non-partner dyad	12	16.0	30	20.0	0.53	.468	0.91	[0.46, 1.82]
Different respondent	24	6.3	156	20.5	38.48	<.001	0.26	[0.17, 0.41]

Note: AFM = affected family member; FVR = Family Violence Report; IPV = intimate partner violence; OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.

Table 3. FVRs classified as severe based on the nature of associated charges.

Number of severe incidents	South Asian born		Australian born		χ^2	p	OR	95% CI
	N	%	N	%
Overall	54	14.2	99	13.0	0.31	.58	1.11	[0.77, 1.58]
Intimate partner	41	13.4	92	15.0	0.44	.51	1.10	[0.83, 1.44]
Non-partner	13	17.6	25	16.9	0.16	.90	1.05	[0.50, 2.19]

Note: Case-control matched sample. FVR = Family Violence Report; OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.

Table 4. Number of risk factors present in FVR.

Type of violence	South Asian born		Australian born		U	Z	p	r
	Mdn	N	Mdn	N
Overall family violence	6	380	5.5	760	140,807.5	−0.69	.49	.02
Intimate partner violence	5	305	4	610	79,134	−3.71	.00	.12
Non-partner family violence	2	75	2	150	5,325.5	−0.67	.51	.04

Note: Case-control matched sample. FVR = Family Violence Report.

Table 5. Frequency of risk and vulnerability factors experienced for overall FV.

	South Asian born N = 380		Australian born N = 760		χ^2	p	OR	95% CI
	N	%	N	%
Affected family member factors
Mental health problems	61	16.1	229	30.1	26.47	<.001*	0.44	[0.32, 0.61]
Isolated	95	25.0	111	14.6	18.49	<.001*	1.95	[1.43, 2.65]
Visa dependent	32	8.4	4	0.5	51.63	<.001*	17.38	[6.10, 49.52]
Respondent factors
Mental health problems	69	18.2	332	43.7	72.39	<.001*	0.29	[0.21, 0.39]
Previously violent offence	56	14.7	383	50.4	136.04	<.001*	0.17	[0.12, 0.23]
Previous physical violence	183	48.2	358	47.1	0.11	.737	1.04	[0.82, 1.34]
Unemployed	59	15.5	252	33.2	39.70	<.001*	0.37	[0.27, 0.51]
Relationship factors
Financial problems	84	22.1	204	26.8	3.10	.083	0.77	[0.58, 1.03]
Presence of children	183	48.2	322	42.4	3.44	.064	1.26	[0.99, 1.62]
Reside together	249	65.5	317	41.7	57.48	<.001*	2.66	[2.06, 3.43]
Recently separated	146	38.4	274	36.1	0.61	.435	1.11	[0.86, 1.43]
Abuse for >1 month	226	59.5	396	52.1	5.55	.019	1.35	[1.05, 1.73]
Violence escalated recently	174	45.8	345	45.4	0.02	.900	1.02	[0.79, 1.30]
Prior FV history	161	42.4	446	58.7	27.09	<.001*	0.52	[0.40, 0.66]
Risk factors for femicide
Jealous/controlling actions	177	46.6	277	36.4	10.85	<.001*	1.52	[1.18, 1.95]
Ever threatened to harm/kill	73	19.2	172	22.6	1.76	.185	0.81	[0.60, 1.11]
Ever physically violent while pregnant	21	5.5	47	6.2	0.20	.658	0.89	[0.52, 1.51]
Ever strangled/suffocated	44	11.6	87	11.4	1.00	.948	1.01	[0.69, 1.49]
Ever sexually assaulted	18	4.7	31	4.1	0.27	.606	1.17	[0.65, 2.12]
Ever stalked/harassed	49	12.9	123	16.2	2.14	.144	0.77	[0.54, 1.10]

Note: FV = family violence; OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.

*Bonferroni correction to p = .0025.

Table 6. Frequency of risk and vulnerability factors for IPV.

	South Asian born N = 305		Australian born N = 610		χ^2	p	OR	95% CI
	N	%	N	%
Affected family member factors
Isolated	88	28.9	99	16.2	19.93	<.001*	2.09	[1.51, 2.91]
Visa dependent	32	10.5	<10	<1.6%	46.36	<.001*	11.80	[4.88, 28.55]
Respondent factors
Unemployed	42	13.8	173	28.4	24.08	<.001*	0.40	[0.28, 0.58]
Relationship factors
Financial problems	72	23.6	153	25.1	0.24	.625	0.92	[0.67, 1.27]
Presence of children	160	52.5	255	41.8	9.32	.002*	1.54	[1.17, 2.03]
Reside together	211	69.2	241	39.5	71.62	<.001*	3.44	[2.57, 4.60]
Recently separated	144	44.7	265	43.4	1.17	.280	1.15	[0.88, 1.54]
Abuse for >1 month	196	64.3	313	51.3	13.82	<.001*	1.71	[1.27, 2.26]
Violence escalated recently	145	47.5	273	44.8	0.64	.425	1.12	[0.85, 1.47]
Risk factors for femicide
Jealous/controlling actions	163	53.4	273	44.8	5.05	.013	1.42	[1.08, 1.87]
Ever threatened to harm/kill	57	18.7	155	25.4	5.16	.023	0.68	[0.48, 0.95]
Ever physically violent while pregnant	21	6.9	46	7.5	0.13	.720	0.91	[0.53, 1.55]
Ever strangled/suffocated	44	14.4	86	14.1	0.02	.893	1.03	[0.69, 1.52]
Ever sexually assaulted	18	5.9	30	4.9	0.4	.529	1.21	[0.67, 2.21]
Ever stalked/harassed	45	14.8	136	22.3	7.29	.007	0.60	[0.42, 0.87]

Note: IPV = intimate partner violence; OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.

*Bonferroni correction to p = .003.

Table 7. Frequency of risk and vulnerability factors for NPFV.

	South Asian born N = 75		Australian born N = 150		χ^2	p	OR	95% CI
	N	%	N	%
Affected family member factors
Isolated	<10	<13.3%	13	8.7	0.24	.627	1.26	[0.50, 3.18]
Relationship factors
Financial problems	12	16	34	22.7	1.37	.242	0.65	[0.31, 1.34]
Reside together	38	50.7	53	35.3	4.88	.027	1.88	[1.07, 3.30]
Abuse for >1 month	30	40	70	46.7	1.18	.343	0.76	[0.43, 1.34]
Violence escalated recently	29	38.7	59	39.3	0.01	.923	0.97	[0.55, 1.72]
Risk factors for femicide
Jealous/controlling actions	14	18.7	15	10	3.34	.067	2.07	[0.94, 4.55]
Ever threatened to harm/kill	16	21.3	23	15.3	1.26	.262	1.50	[0.74, 3.04]

Note: NPFV = non-partner family violence; OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.

*Bonferroni correction to p = .007.