Multidimensional Measure of Emotional Abuse in Intimate Relationships – A Study among Urban Women of West Bengal, India

Background: Intimate partner violence is a global health problem. Emotional abuse is a nonphysical method of domestic violence and is often a precursor to physical abuse. It can be used to exert control and dominance, perpetuating gender inequalities and reinforcing harmful stereotypes. Objective: The objective is to estimate the prevalence and determinants of emotional abuse faced by women residing in a municipality area of West Bengal. Materials and Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted among 272 adult women selected by cluster sampling using the 28-item Multidimensional Measure of Emotional Abuse scale. The domainwise and total scores were calculated. A two-stage cluster analysis was performed to identify groups of women regarding their experience of emotional abuse. A comparison of domain scores was done using an independent sample Mann–Whitney U -test. Binary logistic regression was used to find out the predictors of emotional abuse among the women. Results: Prevalence of emotionally abused women was 69 (25.4%). Domainwise median scores in all domains, i.e., Restrictive Engulfment, Denigration, Hostile Withdrawal, and Dominance, were significantly higher in women experiencing emotional abuse. Women aged 31–40 years ( P = 0.002), working women ( P = 0.009), and those whose spouses or elders made financial decisions ( P = 0.036) were more likely to experience emotional abuse. Conclusions: High prevalence of emotional abuse among urban women suggests the need for focused campaigns using mass media, education of women about their rights, counseling services, workplace-integrated support systems, and financial literacy programs for women to mitigate this public health problem.