Religiosity and Attitude towards Intimate Partner Violence among Married Persons in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Several studies have indicated that attitudes toward Intimate Partner Violence and factors influencing them are prominent predictors of IPV. This study investigated the attitude of married persons towards Intimate Partner Violence in relation to their level of religiosity, age, religious affiliation, and gender, in a sample of Lagos State residents. It was hypothesized that there will be a negative relationship between level of religiosity and attitude towards Intimate Partner Violence and also that age, type of religious affiliation and gender will influence attitudes towards Intimate Partner Violence. Two instruments were deployed for data collection: - The Religious Trust Scale (RTS) that measures the level of an individual’s trust in his/her religion and the Intimate Partner Violence Attitude Scale (IPVAS) that measures peoples’ propensity and attitude towards Intimate Partner Violence. After the data were collected, analysis of the results using Pearson Product Moment correlation and Independent T- test showed that there was a significant but negative relationship between level of religiosity and attitude towards Intimate Partner Violence. Also, it was found that there were significant differences between young and middle-aged adults, gender and type of religious affiliation of the participants in their attitude towards Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made, one of which is that people’s level of religiosity is instrumental in determining their way of life, thus religion can be used as a tool or weapon to prevent or reduce incidences of IPV.