Domestic Violence from the Perspective of Women Supported by Shelters and Crisis Centers in Armenia: a Qualitative Study

Abstract

Introduction: Domestic violence is a serious public health issue which touches on both women’s lives and well-being as well their children who are directly and/or indirectly involved in the abusive relationships within the family. Women victims of domestic violence endure multiple forms of violence within family, including psychological, physical and sexual, which are combined by the desire of the perpetrator to control her. During the course of an abusive relationship, women consider leaving the abusive relationship, conditioned by a number of predisposing factor within the personal, societal and legal layers. Study purpose: This study explored the main reasons Armenian women stay in abusive relationships. In addition, the study sought to understand who the main perpetrator of the violence is within the family, how the stay/leave decision is associated with personal and social risk factors, health status, and the empowerment of the women victims of domestic violence. Methods: The study was a cross sectional, qualitative content analysis employing individual interviews with professionals and women victims of domestic violence. All participants, both professional and women victims of domestic violence, were recruited from domestic violence shelters. Conventional content analysis methodology was employed to derive categories and themes from the interview data. The emerging codes were clustered into categories, which were then clustered into four main themes. Results: Eleven women victims of domestic violence and six professionals from the three shelters currently functioning in Armenia were interviewed. The emerging themes were 1) Factors Supporting Violence by the Husband; 2) Experience of Domestic Violence; 3) Factors for Decision to Stay in Abusive Relationships; 4) Factors for the Decision to Leave the Abusive Relationships. Violence as an accepted form of behavior is associated with the style of family upbringing, with the presence of abuse in the nuclear family both of the victim and the perpetrator. The early onset of marriage, lack of professional education, and financial dependence on the family makes women vulnerable to the violence, while the presence of abuse within the family and socially accepted gender inequality allow the perpetrator to be abusive. Women’s experience of domestic violence involves multiple forms of violence including psychological, physical and sexual, ranging in severity. The decision of the women to stay in abusive relationships is conditioned by women stigmatization, diminished health status, concern for children, lack of family support, and threat from the husband. The decision to leave also is conditioned by prior attempts to leave the man, the presence of family support, care for the child, and women empowerment. Thus, even domestic violence in its manifestation in Armenia does not differ much from other settings and countries, the role of the perpetrator and the risk factors of the women to be a victim can be addressed in a way to minimize the probability of the violence and increase the possibility for further intervention and prevention in Armenia. Implications: Future research is needed to address the gap existing in the understanding of the problem from the perspectives of perpetrators, as well future research is needed to understand the extent and the impact domestic violence has on children. The study aids policy makers and social and health care providers to promote women’s empowerment through timely prevention and intervention.