Adolescents’ Experience of Domestic Violence in Rural South Sri Lanka

Domestic violence (DV) is acknowledged globally as a significant public health problem, with high prevalence reported in low- and middle-income countries. While DV exposure is widely investigated, there remains a notable gap in knowledge regarding adolescents' exposure and involvement in interparental violent events. Furthermore, the adolescents' gender might play a role, although evidence is limited. The present study, therefore, examined how girls and boys are exposed to and involved in DV in a rural setting in Sri Lanka. A school-based screening was conducted among adolescents aged 14 to 16 years (grades 10 and 11), from classes randomly selected from three secondary schools in a rural area in Sri Lanka. A self-reported questionnaire, the Child Exposure to Domestic Violence scale, was used to assess both exposure and involvement in DV among all adolescents in the selected classes. A total of 345 adolescents, of whom 52% were girls, participated in the study. Results revealed that 71.3% experienced exposure to some form of parental violence, ranging from occasional disagreement to more severe incidents involving physical harm. Among those who were exposed, 84.2% reported involvement in adult violence events. Both violence exposure and involvement showed a significant negative correlation with socioeconomic status (<i>p</i> = .037, <i>p</i> = .028, respectively). There was no gender difference in exposure to different DV incidents (all <i>p</i>s > .05). While girls were more likely to yell than boys (<i>p</i>s < .05), other forms of involvement did not differ by gender (<i>p</i>s > .05) Similarly, no gender difference was observed in exposure or involvement based on siblings' age or gender (all <i>p</i>s > .05). DV exposure and involvement associated with lower socioeconomical backgrounds. The absence of clear gender differences indicates that gender does not substantially influence adolescents' experience with DV, and interventions should target all adolescents, irrespective of gender.