Thai women’s experiences of and responses to domestic violence

Abstract

PurposeDomestic violence has been linked to many health consequences. It can impact women’s mental, physical, sexual, and reproductive health, and all of these effects can be long lasting. Despite the growing awareness of the deleterious effects of domestic violence in Thailand, there have been few nation-wide studies that have examined the issue and its consequences. In fact, Thailand has not examined intimate partner violence incidence for the past 20 years. This study aimed to investigate the consequences of domestic violence across the country.Subjects and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in four areas of Thailand: central, southern, northern, and northeastern. One province in each area was selected by simple random sampling techniques. One thousand four hundred and forty-four married or cohabiting females in a heterosexual union, aged 20–59 years, were included in the sample and were interviewed about their experiences of psychological, physical, and sexual violence by their male partners.ResultsOne thousand four hundred and forty-four women completed the interviews. Sixteen percent of respondents encountered domestic violence in its various psychological, physical, or sexual forms. In the majority of cases, all forms of domestic violence were exerted repeatedly. Four-fifths of women who faced domestic violence reported that it had an impact on their physical and mental health as well as employment. This study also found that half of the domestic violence survivors reported their children had witnessed violent situations. These women exercised four coping strategies to deal with their domestic violence: 1) counseling; 2) requesting help from others; 3) fighting back; and 4) running away from home.ConclusionThe findings confirm that domestic violence has implications that extend beyond health and result in the deterioration of the quality of women’s lives. These results underscore that domestic violence is a serious problem that must be addressed in Thai society.

Intimate partner violence and factors associated with sexually transmitted infections among Thai women attending gynecology clinics

“…This low prevalence rate may reflect that IPV is viewed as a private matter within the family. 22 Victims of IPV may keep silent and face a substantial amount of shame and stigma, making it difficult for them to seek help from outsiders until their health or overall situation becomes severe. 23 As a result, IPV might undermine a woman’s ability to access health care services and disclose the abuse to someone.…”

Factors associated with domestic violence in the Lahu hill tribe of northern Thailand: A cross-sectional study

“…Thailand is a developing country and has been reported to have a high prevalence of domestic violence, particularly among children [8], women [9] and the elderly [10]. Most cases of domestic violence have been reported in populations that live in poor socioeconomic environments and have low levels of education [10][11][12][13][14]. The WHO has reported that children and women in Thailand living with people who use substances such as amphetamines and alcohol have a greater chance of being victimized by some form of domestic violence [15].…”

Binge-drinking and household role’s associations with prevalence of domestic violence: findings from the Thailand smoking and drinking behaviour survey 2017

“…Drinking serves as a symbol of masculine gender identity, and alcohol is used as a tool to justify men's IPV and violence against other family members [19]. Studies on domestic violence in Thailand in the literatures are all in the context of IPV in married or cohabitating heterosexual relationships [4,[20][21][22]. The prevalence of lifetime experience of IPV in Thailand varied from 16% in a survey of 1444 women in 4 provinces in 4 regions [20] to 27% in a survey of 580 women in seven Bangkok slums [4].…”

“…Studies on domestic violence in Thailand in the literatures are all in the context of IPV in married or cohabitating heterosexual relationships [4,[20][21][22]. The prevalence of lifetime experience of IPV in Thailand varied from 16% in a survey of 1444 women in 4 provinces in 4 regions [20] to 27% in a survey of 580 women in seven Bangkok slums [4]. The prevalence of IPV in the past 12 months was 1.5% among women in a hospital-based crosssectional study [21].…”