title: Acceptance of wife beating and its association with physical violence towards women in Nepal: a cross-sectional study using couple's data.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious global public health issue. Acceptance of wife beating is known to be associated with IPV, but few studies have analysed the acceptance of wife beating from both women and men's points of view. The objective of this study was to examine whether acceptance of wife beating among couples is associated with lifetime and past one-year physical IPV perpetration towards wives in Nepal.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted from August to September 2011, with 717 randomly selected couples with wives aged 18 to 49 years old from the Kirtipur municipality and Bhaktapur district of Nepal. Wives' and husbands' acceptance of wife beating was measured by six scale items, while physical IPV experience among wives was measured by seven physical assault scale items. To assess the association between acceptance of wife beating and physical IPV, multiple logistic regression analysis was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nearly 30% of wives and husbands indicated that beating of wives is acceptable under certain circumstances. Statistically, no significant difference was detected between wives' and husbands' level of acceptance of wife beating. However, husbands' acceptance of wife beating was positively associated with lifetime and past one-year perpetration of physical IPV, whereas wives' acceptance of wife beating was neither associated with lifetime nor past one-year victimization of physical IPV. The positive association for husbands remained even after controlling for their partner's factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acceptance of wife beating is an important risk factor, which must be considered to prevent perpetration of physical IPV towards wives in Nepal. Future studies should include men to better understand the structure and dynamics of IPV in Nepal, and prevention programs should also target men to change their attitudes or to identify which couples are at more risk of physical IPV occurring toward wives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Global Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kayoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.affiliation: Public Health Concern Trust, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: Tara M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Shakya
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Krishna C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Poudel
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Global Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masamine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jimba
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009390:Nepal; D012307:Risk Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
references.citation: BMC Womens Health. 2010 Oct 28;10:31
references.pmid: 21029449
references.citation: Biosci Trends. 2012 Jun;6(3):115-21
references.pmid: 22890159
references.citation: BMC Public Health. 2011 Feb 16;11:109
references.pmid: 21324186
references.citation: J Biosoc Sci. 2012 Nov;44(6):641-60
references.pmid: 22687269
references.citation: Lancet. 2006 Oct 7;368(9543):1260-9
references.pmid: 17027732
references.citation: Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2005 Oct 1;122(2):225-31
references.pmid: 15935543
references.citation: BMC Res Notes. 2012 Jun 13;5:291
references.pmid: 22695085
references.citation: J Interpers Violence. 2010 Jul;25(7):1224-41
references.pmid: 19758975
references.citation: BMC Womens Health. 2011 May 25;11:19
references.pmid: 21612603
references.citation: BJOG. 2007 Oct;114(10):1246-52
references.pmid: 17877676
references.citation: Stud Fam Plann. 2011 Mar;42(1):21-8
references.pmid: 21500698
references.citation: Violence Vict. 2003 Oct;18(5):533-41
references.pmid: 14695019
references.citation: PLoS One. 2011;6(12):e27738
references.pmid: 22194791
references.citation: Stud Fam Plann. 2010 Jun;41(2):89-98
references.pmid: 21466108
references.citation: Biomedica. 2002 Dec;22 Suppl 2:327-36
references.pmid: 12596453
references.citation: Int Fam Plan Perspect. 2003 Jun;29(2):69-75
references.pmid: 12783770
references.citation: J Interpers Violence. 2011 Jul;26(10):2073-92
references.pmid: 20587461
references.citation: Partner Abuse. 2012 Apr;3(2):231-280
references.pmid: 22754606
references.citation: Bull World Health Organ. 2004 May;82(5):330-7
references.pmid: 15298223
references.citation: World Health Stat Q. 1993;46(1):78-85
references.pmid: 8237054
references.citation: Stud Fam Plann. 2010 Sep;41(3):165-78
references.pmid: 21469270
references.citation: JAMA. 2008 Aug 13;300(6):703-10
references.pmid: 18698068
references.citation: Fam Community Health. 2001 Apr;24(1):55-75
references.pmid: 11275571
references.citation: J Interpers Violence. 2010 Oct;25(10):1873-92
references.pmid: 20139347