The Relationship between Religious Attitude and Domestic Violence against Women of Reproductive Age

Background & aim: Domestic violence is a socio-cultural problem. According to the literature, it has been concluded that various economic, educational, and professional issues have an impact on the severity of the violence against women. The question is whether religious tendencies can correlate with the severity and duration of violence. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between religious attitudes and domestic violence against women. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 210 women of reproductive age in Shiraz urban health centers during 2014 to 2015, who included in the study through multistage sampling. To collect data the Religious Attitude Scale developed by Khodayari-Fard as well as a self-structured questionnaire about the type and duration of violence were used in. The data were analyzed using chi-square test. Results: Based on the results of the present study it was revealed that 62.9% (n=132), 35.2% (n=74), and 1.9% (n=4) of the participants had different levels of moderate, high, and low levels of religious attitudes, respectively. Also, 38.1% (n=80) of the subjects underwent one of the different types of violence and 61.9% (n=130) of them experienced no violence. A significant relationship was seen between religious attitudes with the type (P=0.004) and duration of violence (P=0.019). Conclusion: Religious attitude had a significant relationship with the type and duration of domestic violence against women. It is recommended that future studies be conducted regarding other cultural context and different religions