title: Is Spousal Violence Being "Vertically Transmitted" through Victims? Findings from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2012-13.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Violence against women is regarded as a major violation of human rights, and several socio-behavioral aspects among victims have been identified as important determinants of spousal violence experience. Pakistani nationally representative contextual evidence is scarce in this regard. We aimed to estimate prevalence of spousal violence, and explore its association with intergenerational transfer, and attitudinal acceptance of violence, among Pakistani ever-married women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 3,687 ever-married women from Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 2012-13 was used to perform secondary analysis. Logistic regression analyses were conducted. Association between the different forms of spousal violence and the independent variables: intergenerational transfer of spousal violence (mother also beaten up by father); and attitudinal acceptance of spousal violence (beating is justifies if wife argues with husband) were reported as Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, more than a third (n=1344, 37.9%)of ever-married women reported that they experienced spousal violence. Almost 68% (n=539) of the women who reported that their mothers were also beaten up by their fathers, were victims of spousal violence; and almost 47% (n=603) of the women who agreed that beating was justified if the wife argues with her husband, also suffered spousal violence. Intergenerational transfer (OR =5.71, 95%CI 4.40-7.41, p-value <0.01), and attitudinal acceptance (OR =1.66, 95%CI 1.27-2.15, p-value <0.01) were significantly associated with experience of physical violence even after adjusting for respondents' age at marriage, education level, wealth index, parity, employment status, and empowerment status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Spousal violence continues to haunt the lives of women in Pakistan, and is being transmitted as a learned behavior from mothers to daughters who tend to accept such violation of human rights. Girl children from such unfortunate homes may continue to transmit such behaviors, and thus may be targeted for future anti-domestic violence efforts.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Syeda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kanwal Aslam
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Sidra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zaheer
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan; Institute of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Kashif
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shafique
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult