Journal of School of Public Health and

Background and Aim: Domestic violence against women is a serious public health problem and women adopt different solutions to fight against it. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of intimate partner violence and views of women
on adopting ways to fight against it in Arak city, Iran, year 2008.

Methods and Materials: In a cross-sectional study in Arak city in 2008, a total of 1037 women were interviewed. The data collected were analysed statistically.

Results: Findings showed that the common types of abuse were emotional (64.6%), verbal (57.1%), financial (32.3%), and physical (26.8%). The women mentioned that the most efficient ways they chose to counteract the abuses were as follows: resuming talking after the settlement of quarrels (93%), keeping silent on the part of one of the partners (81%), and seeking advice from the older members of the family (81%). The considered going into a temporary sulk (51%) and reciprocation (46%) ineffective methods. Correlations were found between violence on the one hand and education, job, addiction of the spouse, income of the spouse, mental disorder of the partner, and number of children on the other hand (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Results of this study show that a large number of women are subjected to different types of violence. It seems that increasing awareness of married women and girls concerning effective counteractive methods can be an effective step in solving this social problem.