The epidemiology of domestic violence in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review

Kazzaz, Yasser; Alameer, K; AlAhmari, Rasha A.; Househ, Mowafa; El-Metwally, Ashraf

doi:10.1007/s00038-019-01303-3

Cited by 19 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…In Saudi Arabia, I can say during the previous decade, the DVA prevalence of DVA has increased from 32% to 80.7%. 13 This study indicated a similar lifetime prevalence rate, comparing the prevalence of this study with other local studies and using the Arabic version of the NORAQ as an assessment tool. Two studies were conducted in the same city, but with different study settings.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Prevalence of domestic violence and abuse among Saudi women: an online based cross-sectional study

Aldosary¹

2021

Int J Adv Med

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Background: Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) has a major impact on women's lives, their psychological, physical, and reproductive health and mostly occurring behind closed doors. The objective of this study was to explore the prevalence of DVA among Saudi women, to determine factors related to each type of abuse, identify sources of abuse, and level of disclosure.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey using social networking platforms. Four hundred and twenty-one women completed the validated Arabic version of the NorVold domestic abuse questionnaire.Results: The lifetime prevalence of DVA was 69.9%. The most prevalent type of violence was emotional abuse, followed by physical abuse (47%), and subsequently sexual abuse (35%). Among the abused women, 25.6% (n=75) had experienced all types of abuse. Fathers, mothers, and brothers were the main perpetrators of emotional violence, while brothers, mothers, and fathers were the main perpetrators of physical abuse; relatives (not from the family) and brothers were the main perpetrators of sexual violence. Approximately 26% of the emotionally abused try to seek help, 78.7% did not disclose the abuse to their doctors, and 16.5% of the physically abused try to seek help; however, 82.2% were unable to inform their doctors after abuse, only 8.7% of sexually abused women try to get help after abuse, and 90% cannot inform their doctors.Conclusions: DVA against Saudi women is unacknowledged, and national research data are urgently required to assess the prevalence of DVA and risk factors for abused women.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Prevalence of domestic violence and abuse among Saudi women: an online based cross-sectional study

Aldosary¹

2021

Int J Adv Med

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“…Emotional abuse was the most prevalent type, followed by physical abuse. In confirmation to these results, women's exposure to emotional abuse has been increasingly recognized as a form of FV in Saudi community (Afifi 2011;Alquaiz et al 2017;Alzahrani et al 2016;Barnawi 2016;Fageeh 2014;Kazzaz et al 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Several Saudi studies, using either WHO multicountry assessment tool or predesigned questionnaire, found that the life time prevalence of domestic abuse/intimate partner violence was in range of 32% to 80.7% (Al Dosary 2016; Kazzaz et al 2019;Tashkandi 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To our knowledge, there is a lack of recent national representative studies in Saudi Arabia, however, several studies have been conducted to address regional prevalence, characteristics of the abused, factors affecting help seeking, and reporting of the abuse. The estimated prevalence of FV in the three major cities, including Riyadh ranged from 39.3% to 44.5% (Afifi 2011;Al Dosary 2016;Alquaiz et al 2017;Alzahrani et al 2016;Kazzaz et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Family Violence Pattern and Its Related Factors Among Female University Students in the Riyadh Region of Saudi Arabia

Ibrahim

Mufti

Alsekait

et al. 2021

Violence and Gender

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Family violence (FV), a well-recognised social problem, can interfere with the student's adaptation during their academic lives. This study assessed the prevalence of FV against Saudi female university students. A convenient sample technique was used to recruit a total of 824 female students to fill a self-administered questionnaire. About 20% of the participants experienced FV. Nearly 54% and 28.2% of them talked about the incident with family member and physician, respectively. Parenteral psychological abuse was the most common way of exposure (55%). The psychological impacts of FV were the most experienced effect in the form of stress (86.25%) and sleep disturbance (72.4%). Ignoring the incident (75.6%) was the most preferred students' response. Studying in science-related specialities, achieving low-grade point of achievement, and living with families increased students' exposure to FV. This study sheds light on FV problem among university female students in Saudi population and urges the Student's University Counselling Center to reach and give life-long support of abused students, hence ensuring their psychological health and safety. Clinical Trial Registration Number H-01-R-059-19-0236.

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“…Before the COVID-19 pandemic, studies in Saudi Arabia indicated a high prevalence of domestic violence and abuse [ 13 , 18 , 19 , 22 , 23 ]. After the pandemic containment measures were implemented, studies reported that the rates were increasing in most countries and communities, mandating additional measures to control and report domestic violence [ 10 , 14 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Domestic Violence Against Married Women During the COVID-19 Quarantine in Saudi Arabia

Alharbi¹,

Alkheraiji²,

Aljumah³

et al. 2021

Cureus

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BackgroundBefore the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, cases of domestic abuse and aggressive behaviour between Saudi married couples were increasing annually, a topic of growing concern both socially and medically. With the forced indoor confinement enacted as a containment measure, international studies regarding domestic abuse indicated an almost unanimous increase in prevalence. This cross-sectional national study aimed to assess the change between the pre-and intra-pandemic prevalence of abuse in Saudi Arabia. Material and methodsAnonymous data were gathered using a web-based Arabic version of the World Health Organization (WHO) multi-country instrument measuring violence against women residing in Saudi Arabia. The previously validated questionnaire included a series of multiple-choice questions related to demographic information, family infrastructure, experienced situations of abuse, and the severity and form of abuse during the quarantine period, from March 23, 2020, to June 21, 2020. Associations were tested using a two-tailed Pearson's Chi-square test and odds ratios. A binary multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the independent factors associated with domestic violence. ResultsIn total, 2254 participants were included in the present study. The majority (n=2129, 94.7%) were Saudi nationals. The highest proportion (n=1022, 45.3%) was in the 30 to 40 years age group. The self-reported prevalence of domestic violence before COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine was 25.4% and 16.6% during the confinement, indicating an overall decrease of 8.8% in the reported cases. Regarding the type of violence, of the 315 (16.6%) women who endured violence since the confinement, the majority (n=301, 95.6%) experienced multiple forms of violent abuse, 264 (87.7%) suffered from psychological/emotional violence, 114 (37.9%) from physical violence, and 50 (16.6%) from sexual violence. Of the group who experienced multiple forms of violence, 120 (39.9%) reported an increase in the frequency and perceived intensity of the violence since the confinement. The only variable that directly increased the likelihood of suffering domestic violence had more than three children [OR = 1.59, P = 0.018]. ConclusionsContrary to trends observed in other countries, the national prevalence of abusive conduct towards married women showed a marked decrease during the quarantine period-more children directly correlated with a higher reported frequency of being abused. Further studies in neighbouring countries with comparable societies and structures must be conducted to assess the validity of our findings in the context of the global trends of violence in the marital home.

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The epidemiology of domestic violence in Saudi Arabia: a systematic review

Cited by 19 publications

References 31 publications

Prevalence of domestic violence and abuse among Saudi women: an online based cross-sectional study

Prevalence of domestic violence and abuse among Saudi women: an online based cross-sectional study

Family Violence Pattern and Its Related Factors Among Female University Students in the Riyadh Region of Saudi Arabia

Domestic Violence Against Married Women During the COVID-19 Quarantine in Saudi Arabia

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