This study was to explore the factors associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) in Nepal. A sample of 3,373 married women was taken from the 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey. Multilevel logistic regression methods were used to analyze the data. The results show that 28.31% of the population experienced the IPV in the past year. The results indicate that female illiteracy, low economic status, violent family history, and a lack of decision-making autonomy were associated with IPV. Regarding family background, whether or not the husband was an alcoholic, the husband's level of education, and a higher number of children were risk factors associated with IPV. At the community level, women most at risk of IPV were those living in the Terai region, and women belonging to underprivileged castes and ethnic groups. The findings suggest the need for context-specific policy formation and the need for the creation of the certain intervention programs designed to mitigate IPV in Nepal.
Keywords: Nepal; battered women; cultural contexts; domestic violence.
© The Author(s) 2014.