Attitudes of Dominicans Towards Intimate Partner Violence against Women

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), 1.3 million women in the United States are victims of intimate partner violence each year. One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. This suggests a higher incidence of intimate partner violence in the Caribbean than in the US. Additionally, the US Department of State reported that domestic violence was a common problem in Dominica. The purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes of intimate partner violence in Dominica. The study sought to answer the following questions through the use of the flowing research questions: (a) Do attitudes toward intimate partner violence against women differ between men and women? (b) Do attitudes toward intimate partner violence against women differ among Kalinago Dominican and Afro-Dominican women? (c) Under what circumstances is intimate partner violence against women justified? Data will be collected in three communities in Dominica using a mixed methods approach. One hundred twenty-six participants were recruited via convenience sampling. Data were collected through the use of a survey. An open-ended question was added to the survey to collect data on justifiable circumstances for infliction of intimate partner violence against women. The quantitative data were analyzed using Mann Whitney U tests exploring difference in attitudes between men and women in Dominica and differences in attitudes between Kalinago Dominican and Afro-Dominican women. The open ended question in the survey was analyzed using thematic coding to extract opinions on circumstances that may justify intimate partner violence against women.