Prevalence and correlates of physical, psychological, and sexual intimate partner violence in Bolivia

Abstract

Despite increasing awareness that domestic violence is a major public health problem, existing studies focus on physical and sexual violence and give little attention to psychological violence. This study uses data from the 2008 Bolivia Demographic and Health Surveys (BDHS) to examine the prevalence and correlates of physical, sexual, and psychological intimate partner violence in Bolivia. The results show that psychological intimate partner violence is extremely common (affecting nearly one in two women) and often occurs in addition to physical violence. While physical, psychological and sexual intimate partner violence have several common predictors, there are factors that only affect some types of violence. Common risk factors include urban residence, respondent's employment status and having witnessed interparental violence in childhood. Although marital status is not a risk factor for physical violence, unmarried cohabitation is a strong risk factor for psychological intimate partner violence. Our findings highlight the need for research to assess the potential consequences of psychological intimate partner violence, particularly for women's mental health.

Keywords:

• domestic abuse
• intimate partner violence
• psychological abuse
• Bolivia
• Latin America

Acknowledgements

Data used in this study stem from the 2008 Bolivia Demographic and Health Survey, which was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This study is part of a larger study on domestic violence and mental health in Bolivia, preliminary results of which were presented at the Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America, held in San Francisco, 2–5 May 2012.