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Inclusion criteria for intimate partner violence questions [message #24197] Sat, 12 March 2022 03:24 Go to next message
David34 is currently offline  David34
Messages: 17
Registered: March 2022
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I have only recently started using DHS data and would be grateful for the clarification on the Domestic Violence module questions on intimate partner violence.

For some country reports there is a note saying that "Husband/partner refers to the current husband/partner for currently married women and the most recent husband/partner for divorced, separated, or widowed women". For example, in the 2019-20 DHS Liberia country report, there is this note under table 16.10 (page: 346).

The heading of this table also says that "Percentage of ever-married women ..."

Does that mean that the term 'husband' is used synonymously as 'partner'? And that 'never-married women were not included? The women's questionnaire also seems a bit vague on this.

Secondly, those women who were never married, but had lived together with a man as if married, are not included in the surveys on intimate partner violence? And their violence experiences were not recorded?
Thank you.

[Updated on: Sat, 12 March 2022 03:49]

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Re: Inclusion criteria for intimate partner violence questions [message #24202 is a reply to message #24197] Mon, 14 March 2022 10:46 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bridgette-DHS is currently offline  Bridgette-DHS
Messages: 3017
Registered: February 2013
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Following is a response from Senior DHS Specialist, Kerry MacQuarrie:

Below is an answer you can post:

I am glad you consulted the questionnaire, which can be found in the appendix of each survey Final Report; It is an invaluable resource for understanding the data in the tables and the variable sin the datafiles. The questions that populate Table 16.10 are Q1504Aa-Bc and 1505Aa-Bj in the Liberia 2019-20 DHS (DV07Aa-Bc and DV08Aa-Bj in the generic Domestic Violence module). These questions are asked of women who are currently married/living with a man as if married (referring to current husband/partner) and women who were formerly married/lived with a man as if married (referring to most recent husband/partner). They are NOT asked of never married women. In this situation, the term "partner" is used for women who live(d) with a man as if married, but who may not be formally married, whereas "husband" is used for those who are, and the table note is meant to reflect that. Anytime you see a pair of words in parentheses in the questionnaire, as in (husband/partner) or (is/was), indicates that the interviewer selected the appropriate term for that particular respondent. Similarly, the term (last) in parentheses indicates that the interviewer included that word only as appropriate, i.e. for formerly married women.

I hope this clarifies this for you.
Re: Inclusion criteria for intimate partner violence questions [message #24204 is a reply to message #24202] Mon, 14 March 2022 11:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
David34 is currently offline  David34
Messages: 17
Registered: March 2022
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Thanks for your help, I'm very grateful.

So women who either might currently be or have had ever lived with a man as if married, but never ever got married, would not be asked these questions, am I correct? As a precondition of having been asked these questions is that a woman should have been "ever married".

In order words either currently having an intimate partner, or having had one in the past, does not matter. A woman has to have been "ever-married", in order to qualify to be asked these questions?

Thanks again!

[Updated on: Mon, 14 March 2022 11:34]

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Re: Inclusion criteria for intimate partner violence questions [message #24220 is a reply to message #24204] Fri, 18 March 2022 10:49 Go to previous message
Bridgette-DHS is currently offline  Bridgette-DHS
Messages: 3017
Registered: February 2013
Senior Member

Following is a response from Senior DHS Specialist, Kerry MacQuarrie:

To clarify: Women who are currently (or ever) living with a man WOULD be asked these questions. Their questions would use the word "partner" rather than "husband", but they get the same questions and their responses are coded on the same variables as women who are/were formally married.

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