The Influence of Religious Affiliation on Various Forms of Family Violence in a Sample of Female and Male South Asians

PURPOSE: Family violence is a complex phenomenon that manifests in diverse ways within households. Cultural values and norms of a community, specifically religious affiliation can also influence the relationships and the ways in which family violence can manifest. In our study, we explore family violence (adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), in-law abuse, physical and emotional sibling violence (PESV), intimate partner violence (IPV) among South Asians in the United States. METHODS: = 974) from a larger sample of South Asians collected on Reddit. We ran descriptive statistics, chi-squares, independent samples T-tests, and a logistic regression to examine the correlates of religious affiliation. RESULTS: All variables showed a significant relationship at the bivariate level with religious affiliation. Independent samples t-tests showed significant differences between religious and non-religious groups specifically about the experiences of violence (IPV, in-law abuse). Finally, the logistic regression model was also statistically significant with generation status, education, household income, ACEs as correlates. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge this is the first study to develop new evidence regarding these unique forms of family violence (ACEs, IPV, PESV, in-law abuse) and the relationship with religious affiliation, using a community sample. The study findings have important implications to develop culturally responsive interventions for South Asians.