Primary Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence in India

Acceptability of the intervention to the dyad will be collected qualitatively and gauged by extracting themes regarding acceptability of modular content, timing of the intervention, safety precautions, number and duration of the intervention sessions, and appropriateness of intervention staff through semi-structured interviews between administrators and participants.

Intervention feasibility will be qualitatively assessed by extracting themes from post-session semi-structured interviews of difficulties in intervention delivery, participant understanding of the intervention, and logistical problems with the intervention setting, timing, staff training, and debriefings as reported by the intervention administrator.

Safety of the intervention will be gauged by extracting themes of incident IPV events or changes in IPV frequency or severity reported by the wife at the three-month follow-up through semi-structured interviews between administrators and participants.

Change in time spent together alone with partner

Change in score on Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. The scale measures self-esteem on a scale of 0-30 (wherein lower scores are suggestive of lower self-esteem).

Change in confidence in communicating about various commonly-encountered scenarios with partner

Change in Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2) Negotiation Subscale score. The negotiation subscale measure actions taken to settle disagreements. The minimum score is 0 and the maximum is 150, with higher scores suggestive of better negotiation skills.

Change in confidence in communicating to partner desire to have or not have sex

Change in commonly held sexual and reproductive health beliefs linked to IPV perpetration.

Change in acknowledgement of behaviors that constitute IPV. This outcome is assessed using an adaptation of the Indian Family Violence and Control Scale, wherein response choices will include "not violence," "mild violence," "moderate violence, and "severe violence." The minimal score will be 12 and the maximum 48, with greater scores being suggestive of the participant having a more comprehensive conceptualization of behaviors constituting IPV.

Change in attitudes toward situations in which beating a partner may be acceptable. This outcome is assessed using adapted questions from the National Family Health Survey Attitudes Towards Wife Beating module. It is assessed based on the frequency of affirmative responses to the questions, with more affirmative responses being associated with greater acceptance of IPV.