Domestic Violence in Nicaragua: The Roles of Individuals, Families, and Communities in the Cessation of Abuse

Kiersten Johnson, ORC Macro

Because domestic violence is associated with negative outcomes for affected women and their children, it is important to investigate not only the factors associated with the occurrence of violence in the household, but also those factors associated with a cessation of violence, in order to better conceptualize the formulation of programs and policies aimed at ameliorating domestic violence. Domestic violence is a phenomenon that is determined at several societal levels, such that individuals, families and communities all contribute to a woman's experience or non-experience of intimate partner violence. This analysis seeks to determine what factors allow for a cessation of violence once it has begun. Using data from the Nicaragua Demographic and Health Survey, this multivariate analysis finds that while families and communities contribute to the occurrence of domestic violence against women, it is primarily the characteristics of women themselves that are associated with bringing an end to violence.