Emotional abuse among married women at Vhembe district: Experiences and consequences

BACKGROUND: Emotional abuse is seen as an issue to be kept secret and not reported, because there is no evidence of abuse until stress, sickness and death occur. AIM: The study aimed at exploring the experiences and consequences of emotional abuse among married women in a selected village in the Vhembe district in Limpopo province. SETTING: Vhembe district in Limpopo province. METHODS: This qualitative study adopted a descriptive phenomenological design. Participants were selected using purposive sampling, with the support of the local healthcare professional to select participants with lived experiences around emotional abuse. In-depth one-on-one unstructured interviews were conducted. Only ten married women were interviewed because of data saturation. Colaizzi’s method was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: The results revealed three themes – the participants’ experiences of emotional abuse, the impacts of emotional abuse on the victim and reasons for remaining in an abusive marriage – and eight sub-themes. Married women also stated several reasons for remaining in abusive marriages such as poverty and love for the spouse. CONCLUSION: The study showed a lack of understanding and consequences of emotional abuse among married women in a village in Limpopo province. The cultural institutions that support lobola disempower women, reinforce violence and allow husbands to have power over their wives. The participants thought men had every right to do whatever they liked with them because they paid their bridal price (lobola). Hence, it is essential to increase the understanding of emotional abuse among women by educating them on various platforms regarding their rights. CONTRIBUTION: This study contributes to understanding the lived experiences of emotional abuse and its consequences on married women.