In recent years there has been a surge in international prevalence studies on domestic violence. It is therefore imperative to develop methods for measuring violence in a way that permits comparison across settings and maximizes disclosure without jeopardizing the safety of respondents and interviewers. This paper compares two domestic violence surveys recently carried out in Nicaragua with respect to ethical and methodological considerations.
A cross-sectional survey focussing specifically on domestic violence was performed in 1995 in Leon, Nicaragua on a random sample of 488 women aged 15-49. The second study is a nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey carried out in 1998. This survey contained a special module on experiences of violence which was given to 8,000 ever-married women. A significant variation was found between prevalence estimates for lifetime experiences of physical partner abuse between the two studies. The León study found that 52% of ever-married women had experienced abuse, compared with 29% in the DHS survey. Possible explanations for the difference are discussed, including interviewer training, data quality control, sampling techniques and confidentiality during interviews. The paper will discuss the comparative advantages and trade-offs between smaller scale focussed studies, and larger-scale studies primarily designed for other purposes. Global recommendations will be presented for improving the quality and safety of domestic violence surveys.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session the participant will be able to: 1. List three key ethical and methodological issues with regard to violence research. 2. Identify the relative advantages of focussed studies versus national studies designed for primarily for other purposes for measuring prevalence of partner abuse 3. Critically compare prevalence estimates from two different surveys in Nicaragua
Keywords: Women, Violence
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.