Table 2

Characteristics of included records

CharacteristicNo of records (%)
Year of publication
 2000–201041 (17.0)
 2011–2021200 (83.0)
Publication type
 Peer-reviewed journal article222 (92.1)
 Grey literature report12 (5.0)
 DHS/MICS/WHO reports4 (1.7)
 PhD theses3 (1.2)
Country
 Bangladesh74
 Uganda72
 Tanzania43
 Zambia23
 Democratic Republic of the Congo23
 Cameroon12
 Sierra Leone10
 Bolivia10
 Liberia9
 Timor-Leste9
 Afghanistan8
 Burundi7
 Gabon6
 Sao Tome and Principe5
 Angola5
 Central African Republic2
 Vanuatu2
 Micronesia2
 Kiribati1
 Solomon Islands1
 Fiji1
 Equatorial Guinea0
 Tuvalu0
Data source
 Primary133 (55.2)
 Secondary104 (43.2) (62% DHS)
 Both primary and secondary4 (1.6)
Methods
 Quantitative175 (72.6)
 Qualitative58 (24.1)
 Mixed8 (3.3)
Study methods
 Quantitative designs
  Cross-sectional169 (70.1)
  Longitudinal (prospective cohort n=2, retrospective cohort n=1, longitudinal analysis of baseline/endline data n=2)5 (2.1)
  Retrospective1 (0.4)
Qualitative methods
 Individual interviews26 (10.8)
 Focus group discussions9 (3.7)
 Ethnography2 (0.8)
 Case study1 (0.4)
 Combination of qualitative methods20 (8.3)
Type of violence studied
 Physical211
 Sexual163
 Psychological87
 Economic22
 Controlling behaviour11
Language
 English239 (99.2)
 Spanish2 (0.8)
Total studies=241
  • Percentages not included for country and type of violence because some studies included data from more than one country and for more than one type of violence.

  • DHS, Demographic and Health Surveys; MICS, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.