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Effect of Community-Based Domestic Violence Screening on Domestic Violence Detection among Women in Nigeria

Abstract

Domestic violence remains an important public health and social concern among women in Nigeria, with potential consequences for physical health, mental health, reproductive health, social well-being, and quality of life. Women may experience physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, or economic forms of violence within intimate or household relationships. However, many cases may remain undetected because of fear, stigma, financial dependence, social norms, concerns about retaliation, lack of awareness of available services, and limited access to appropriate support systems. Community-based domestic violence screening provides an opportunity to identify women experiencing or at risk of domestic violence through community outreach, primary healthcare centres, women's groups, social service platforms, and other accessible community settings. Early detection can facilitate confidential counselling, safety planning, medical assessment, psychosocial support, legal assistance, shelter or protection services, and appropriate referral. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of community-based domestic violence screening on domestic violence detection among women in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Ecological Systems Theory, and the Social Ecological Model. The Health Belief Model explains how women's perceptions of vulnerability to domestic violence, perceived severity, perceived benefits of screening, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence willingness to participate in screening and disclose experiences of violence. Ecological Systems Theory emphasizes the influence of individual, relationship, family, community, institutional, cultural, and societal environments on women's exposure to domestic violence and access to support services. The Social Ecological Model further explains how factors operating at individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and societal levels may influence violence risk, disclosure, reporting, and access to intervention. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how community-based domestic violence screening may influence domestic violence detection among women in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative cross-sectional analytical or quasi-experimental research design. The study population will comprise women aged 18 years and above residing in selected communities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select states, local government areas, communities, households, primary healthcare centres, women's organizations, and eligible participants. Community-based domestic violence screening will be measured using indicators such as availability of screening programmes, screening coverage, frequency of screening activities, use of validated screening instruments, assessment of physical violence, sexual violence, emotional or psychological violence, and economic abuse, availability of trained personnel, privacy and confidentiality arrangements, safety protocols, community awareness activities, counselling services, and referral pathways. Domestic violence detection will be assessed using indicators such as identification of current or previous experiences of domestic violence, disclosure of physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, or economic abuse, identification of women requiring further assessment or support, newly identified cases, referrals for medical or psychosocial services, referrals to legal or protection services, safety-planning interventions, and linkage to appropriate support services. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, validated domestic violence screening instruments, confidential interview procedures, healthcare records where appropriate, community support records, and referral registers. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, screening coverage, reported experiences of violence, and patterns of domestic violence detection. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the effect of community-based domestic violence screening on domestic violence detection. Where appropriate, detection rates before and after implementation of community-based screening activities may be compared to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that community-based domestic violence screening has a significant positive effect on domestic violence detection among women in Nigeria. Women who participate in confidential community-based screening are expected to have a higher likelihood of previously undisclosed experiences of domestic violence being identified than women without access to such screening. Systematic screening may facilitate early identification of physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, and economic forms of violence and provide opportunities for appropriate intervention. Confidential screening conducted through trusted community and healthcare platforms may reduce some barriers to disclosure and allow women to access support before violence escalates or produces severe health consequences. Early detection may facilitate medical care, counselling, psychosocial support, safety planning, legal assistance, protection services, and referral to appropriate organizations. Community awareness activities may also improve knowledge of domestic violence, women's rights, available services, and safe avenues for seeking assistance. Conversely, fear of retaliation, stigma, cultural barriers, financial dependence, lack of privacy, inadequate training of screening personnel, insufficient referral services, and weak protection systems may reduce disclosure and limit the effectiveness of community-based domestic violence screening. The study therefore expects confidential, survivor-centred, safe, and appropriately implemented community-based domestic violence screening to contribute significantly to improved detection and early response to domestic violence among women in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on community-based domestic violence screening, domestic violence detection, intimate partner violence, women's health, gender-based violence, community health, psychosocial support, violence prevention, reproductive health, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, state ministries of health and social development, primary healthcare centres, social welfare departments, women's organizations, healthcare workers, counsellors, legal and protection service providers, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening domestic violence identification and response. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for expanding confidential community-based domestic violence screening, strengthening training for healthcare and community personnel, improving survivor-centred referral systems, increasing access to psychosocial and medical services, strengthening safety-planning mechanisms, improving community awareness, protecting survivors' confidentiality, and integrating appropriate domestic violence screening and referral services into community-based healthcare programmes across Nigeria.

Keywords: Community-based domestic violence screening, domestic violence detection, women, intimate partner violence, gender-based violence, women's health, violence screening, survivor support, psychosocial support, community health, Nigeria, public health.