Studying the Trends of Domestic Violence in the South Asian Communities of Shelby County

Abuse in South Asian countries is a significant problem, in large part due to cultural characteristics that support patriarchal views. Unfortunately, little is known about South Asian individuals once they move to the United States. One of the primary research questions was determining the most common form of domestic violence for a South Asian population living in the US, and the role of patriarchal views for DV experiences. Primary data were collected on basic demographics, religious background, country of origin, alcohol use, frequency of abuse, and patriarchal beliefs using Qualtrics. Data were collected between May and October 2022. Multiple imputations were run for the missing values on abuse and the patriarchal belief measures. A series of logistic regressions showed that the religious background, specifically being Hindu, significantly affects the risk of ever experiencing abuse. Patriarchal belief scale is a strong predictor of abuse, although not statistically significant. Finally, mental/emotional abuse is more commonly experienced in South Asian communities in Shelby County than any other abuse. These results are consistent with the current literature and thus, highlight the need for more research and domestic violence related culturally specific and relevant resources for the South Asian communities in the Shelby County area