Mediation Effect of Depression, Alcohol Consumption, and Household Food Insecurity to Intimate Partner Violence in Rural Counterparts of Dakshin Dinajpur District, West Bengal

Abstract

Intimate partner violence is defined as the intentional use of physical force or power against a woman in a relationship that leads to hurt, psychological harm, or death. The present study aims to identify the mediation role of a partner’s depression, alcohol consumption, and household food insecurity on women’s experience to intimate partner violence (IPV) physically. To fulfill the study objective, a community (Scheduled Caste and Scheduled tribe)-based cross-sectional survey was (n = 560) conducted in rural counterparts of Dakshin Dinajpur district, West Bengal, India. The result revealed that a household’s food insecurity and partner’s depression are not directly associated with women’s experience of intimate partner violence physically while the partner’s alcohol consumption behavior directly and significantly (standardized β: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.24–0.35; P < 0.001) associated with women’s experience to intimate partner violence physically. Moreover, household food insecurity (standardized β: 0.05; P < 0.001), poverty (standardized β: 0.05; P < 0.001), and partner’s depression (standardized β: 0.06; P < 0.001) are indirectly (mediated by partner’s alcohol consumption behavior) and significantly associated with women’s experience to IPV physically. Besides that household poverty, food insecurity and the partner’s depression had a direct implication on the partner’s alcohol consumption behavior. In short, alcohol consumption acts as a trigger for intimate partner violence. Rural parts of Dakshin Dinajpur district require a public awareness campaign to combat domestic violence, which should be spearheaded by state governments and civic societies. The increasing precariousness of domestic violence must be made known to the public and passersby. In addition to all this, the government must pay attention to how the people of rural areas can be improved economically.