A comparative study of domestic violence among married men and women in urban and rural settings

Background: Domestic Violence is a silent public health issue prevalent in India since ages which has a profound effect not only on the victim but the entire family and the community. Multiple studies focused on females as the victims of domestic violence ignoring the other side of male victims. Domestic Violence studies comparing the contrast patterns of urban and rural areas have been insufcient in past. It is important to study these variations in urban and rural areas and to take corrective action in future. Objectives: To measure the prevalence & causes of Domestic Violence in married men & women in urban & rural areas. A cross sectional, Methods: observational study conducted at Panvel Taluka, Maharashtra State. Ethical clearance was obtained before the start of the study. By purposive sampling, 406 individuals were selected. Prevalence of domestic violence am Results: ong male & female victims was 17.52% & 45.34% respectively. Most common form of abuse among male victims was nancial abuse (75%) while among female victims it was mental abuse, (59.41 %). The overall prevalence of domestic violence in rural area (33%) was found to be more than in urban area (25.61%). The commonest form of abuse in urban victims was mental abuse (64.70%) while in rural area, it was nancial abuse (61.76%). It is seen that men Conclusions: are also the victims of domestic violence. The problem of domestic violence is more in rural area than the urban area