RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND RELIGIOSITY

Several studies prove the relation between religiosity and having mental health. This study aimed to study the relationship between being religious and domestic violence. This cross sectional study was conducted on 139 male volunteers that committed domestic violence living in the area covered by Social Development Research Center of Urmia and health promotion during 2008-2009. The questionnaire of Mental Health Research Center of Iran Medical University was used to gather the data. Pearson co-efficient between religiosity and intimate partner violence has calculated. Pearson correlation was used for analysis of the data. Most of the volunteers committing domestic violence were either young or uneducated. The average score of domestic violence was 45.64 (maximum 84), and 129.14 (maximum 224) for being religious. Pearson correlation between domestic violence and being religious was -0.758 (p=0.011). The highest correlation was between desirable practice and physical violence (-0.969) and the lowest correlation was between religiously prohibited deeds and mental violence -0.249 respectively. There was a negative correlation between being religious and domestic violence (pearson coefficient was -0.758). It is suggested to reduce domestic violence in men with increasing religiosity.