title: Spousal Violence in 5 Transitional Countries: A Population-Based Multilevel Analysis of Individual and Contextual Factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  I examined the individual- and community-level factors associated with spousal violence in post-Soviet countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  I used population-based data from the Demographic and Health Survey conducted between 2005 and 2012. My sample included currently married women of reproductive age (n = 3932 in Azerbaijan, n = 4053 in Moldova, n = 1932 in Ukraine, n = 4361 in Kyrgyzstan, and n = 4093 in Tajikistan). I selected respondents using stratified multistage cluster sampling. Because of the nested structure of the data, multilevel logistic regressions for survey data were fitted to examine factors associated with spousal violence in the last 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Partner's problem drinking was the strongest risk factor associated with spousal violence in all 5 countries. In Moldova, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan, women with greater financial power than their spouses were more likely to experience violence. Effects of community economic deprivation and of empowerment status of women in the community on spousal violence differed across countries. Women living in communities with a high tolerance of violence faced a higher risk of spousal violence in Moldova and Ukraine. In more traditional countries (Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan), spousal violence was lower in conservative communities with patriarchal gender beliefs or higher financial dependency on husbands.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  My findings underscore the importance of examining individual risk factors in the context of community-level factors and developing individual- and community-level interventions.
authors.affiliation: Leyla Ismayilova is with the School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Leyla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ismayilova
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017517:Commonwealth of Independent States; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D055361:Multilevel Analysis; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult