Violence-Related Coping, Help-Seeking and Health Care–Based Intervention Preferences Among Perinatal Women in Mumbai, India

• Published in: Journal of interpersonal violence 2013-06, Vol.28 (9), p.1924-1947
• Main Authors: Decker, Michele R., Nair, Saritha, Saggurti, Niranjan, Sabri, Bushra, Jethva, Meghna, Raj, Anita, Donta, Balaiah, Silverman, Jay G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abuse; Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adult; Coping; Crisis Intervention; Domestic violence; Domestic Violence - psychology; Female; Females; Health; Health Care Services; Help Seeking Behavior; Humans; India - ethnology; Intervention; Low income groups; Mothers; Mumbai, India; Poverty; Self-Help Groups; Social Support; Studies; Violence; Women; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0886-2605; 1552-6518; 1552-6518
• DOI: 10.1177/0886260512469105

Domestic violence is a significant public health issue. India is uniquely affected with an estimated 1 in 3 women facing abuse at the hands of a partner. The current mixed-methods study describes violence-related coping and help-seeking, and preferences for health care—based intervention, among perinatal women residing in low-income communities in Mumbai, India. In-depth interviews were conducted with women who had recently given birth and self-reported recent violence from husbands (n = 32), followed by survey data collection (n = 1,038) from mothers seeking immunization for their infants ages 6 months or younger at 3 large urban health centers in Mumbai, India. Participants described fears and other barriers to abuse disclosure, and there was a low level of awareness of formal support services related to violence. Qualitative and quantitative findings indicated that formal help-seeking is uncommon and that informal help sources are most frequently sought. Quantitative results revealed that, while few (