Exploring the association between attitudes towards wife beating and intimate partner violence using a dyadic approach in three sub-Saharan African countries

OBJECTIVE: The present study examines the association between attitudes towards wife beating and intimate partner violence (IPV) using a dyadic approach in three sub-Saharan countries. SETTING: We use data from the most recent Demographic and Health Survey cross-sectional studies which were conducted between 2015 and 2018 in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe PARTICIPANTS: Our sample comprised 9183 couples who also had completed the information on the domestic violence questions and our variables of interest. RESULTS: Our results indicate that women in these three countries are generally comparatively more inclined to justify marital violence than their husbands or partners. In terms of IPV experience, we found that when both partners endorsed wife beating, the risk of experiencing IPV was twice as likely after controlling for other couple-level and individual factors (OR=1.91, 95% CI 1.54–2.50, emotional violence; OR=2.42, 95% CI 1.96–3.00, physical violence; OR=1.97, 95% CI 1.47–2.61, sexual violence). The risk of IPV was also higher when the women alone endorsed IPV (OR=1.59, 95% CI 1.35–1.86, emotional violence; OR=1.85, 95% CI 1.59–2.15, physical violence; OR=1.83, 95% CI 1.51–2.22, sexual violence) than when the men alone were tolerant (OR=1.41, 95% CI 1.13–1.75, physical violence; OR=1.43, 95% CI 1.08–1.90, sexual violence). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm that attitudes towards violence are perhaps one of the key indicators of IPV prevalence. Therefore, to break the cycle of violence in the three countries, more attention must be paid to attitudes towards the acceptability of marital violence. Programmes tailored to gender role transformation and promote non-violent gender attitudes are also needed.