An investigation of the longitudinal association of ownership of mobile phones and having internet access with intimate partner violence among young married women in India.

Purpose: We explored the prevalence of intimate partner violence (physical, sexual, and emotional) and its longitudinal associations with the ownership of mobile phones and internet access among married women within the context of India. Methods: We used data from the longitudinal survey of "Underst...

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Published in:Journal of Public Health: From Theory to Practice (2198-1833) Vol. 33; no. 6; pp. 1247 - 1259
Main Authors: Thakkar, Shriya, Muhammad, T., Maurya, Chanda
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Jun2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jun2025
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      pub: Springer Nature
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        10.1007/s10389-023-02106-w
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      tig:
        atl: An investigation of the longitudinal association of ownership of mobile phones and having internet access with intimate partner violence among young married women in India.
      aug:
        au:
          Thakkar, Shriya
          Muhammad, T.
          Maurya, Chanda
        affil:
          https://ror.org/05ect4e57 Department of Sociology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
          https://ror.org/0178xk096 Department of Family & Generations, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
          https://ror.org/0178xk096 Department of Survey Research and Data Analytics, International Institute for Population Sciencesces, 400088, Mumbai, Maharastra, India
      su:
        India
        Internet access
        Intimate partner violence
        Married women
        Socioeconomic factors
        Cell phones
        Psychosocial factors
        Intergenerational relations
        Adolescence
        Adults
        Descriptive statistics
        Regression analysis
      sug:
        subj:
          Internet access
          Intimate partner violence
          Married women
          Socioeconomic factors
          Cell phones
          Psychosocial factors
          Intergenerational relations
          Adolescence
          Adults
          India
          Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite)
          Electronics Stores
          Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing
          Electronic components, navigational and communications equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers
          Descriptive statistics
          Regression analysis
      keyword:
        Mobile phone ownership
        Partner violence
        Studies in Human Society Other Studies In Human Society
        UDAYA
        Mobile phone ownership
        Partner violence
        Studies in Human Society Other Studies In Human Society
        UDAYA
      ab: Purpose: We explored the prevalence of intimate partner violence (physical, sexual, and emotional) and its longitudinal associations with the ownership of mobile phones and internet access among married women within the context of India. Methods: We used data from the longitudinal survey of "Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults" (UDAYA-2015–16 and 2018–19) carried out in the two most populous states of India, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Descriptive statistics and random effects regression analysis were employed to determine the respective outcomes using a total sample of 20,700 participants across both states. Results: Percentages of women who reported ownership of mobile phones and internet access rose from 36.2% and 3.7% in wave 1 to 54.3% and 27% in wave 2, respectively. Despite increased ownership of technology, all forms of partner violence increased over time in this study. However, women who owned mobile phones were less likely to report physical [Coef: −0.041; p <.001] and sexual [Coef: −0.024; p <.001] violence, compared to those who had no mobile phones. Women who had internet access were negatively associated with physical [Coef: −0.048; p <.001], emotional [Coef: −0.034; p <.01], and any form of violence [Coef: −0.044; p <.001] than their counterparts. Conclusion: The findings underlined that internet access and ownership of mobile phones have been associated with improved safety and security for Indian women. The findings are important to practitioners, as they indicate that digital literacy among women should be promoted with immediate effect through the dissemination of workshops as well as strengthening availability and access to mobile phones and internet. This, in turn, would be a huge boost toward women's economic and social empowerment, particularly within the contemporary Indian context.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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