Dataset Information

Effective prevention of intimate partner violence through couples training: a randomised controlled trial of Indashyikirwa in Rwanda.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Between 2015 and 2018, three civil society organisations in Rwanda implemented Indashyikirwa, a four-part intervention designed to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV) among couples and within communities. We assessed the impact of the programme's gender transformative curriculum for couples.

Methods

Sectors (n=28) were purposively selected based on density of village savings and loan association (VLSA) groups and randomised (with stratification by district) to either the full community-level Indashyikirwa programme (n=14) or VSLA-only control (n=14). Within each sector, 60 couples recruited from VSLAs received either a 21-session curriculum or VSLA as usual. No blinding was attempted. Primary outcomes were perpetration (for men) or experience (for women) of past-year physical/sexual IPV at 24 months post-baseline, hypothesised to be reduced in intervention versus control (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03477877).

Results

We enrolled 828 women and 821 men in the intervention sectors and 832 women and 830 men in the control sectors; at endline, 815 women (98.4%) and 763 men (92.9%) in the intervention and 802 women (96.4%) and 773 men (93.1%) were available for intention-to-treat analysis. Women in the intervention compared with control were less likely to report physical and/or sexual IPV at 24 months (adjusted relative risk (aRR)=0.44, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.59). Men in the intervention compared with control were also significantly less likely to report perpetration of physical and/or sexual IPV at 24 months (aRR=0.54, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.75). Additional intervention benefits included reductions in acceptability of wife beating, conflict with partner, depression, and corporal punishment against children and improved conflict management, communication, trust, self-efficacy, self-rated health, household earnings, food security and actions to prevent IPV. There were no study-related harms.

Conclusions

The Indashyikirwa couples' training curriculum was highly effective in reducing IPV among male/female couples in rural Rwanda. Scale-up and adaptation to similar settings should be considered.

SUBMITTER: Dunkle K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7757483 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Effective prevention of intimate partner violence through couples training: a randomised controlled trial of <i>Indashyikirwa</i> in Rwanda.

Dunkle Kristin K Stern Erin E Chatterji Sangeeta S Heise Lori L

BMJ global health 20201201 12

<h4>Background</h4>Between 2015 and 2018, three civil society organisations in Rwanda implemented <i>Indashyikirwa</i>, a four-part intervention designed to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV) among couples and within communities. We assessed the impact of the programme's gender transformative curriculum for couples.<h4>Methods</h4>Sectors (n=28) were purposively selected based on density of village savings and loan association (VLSA) groups and randomised (with stratification by district) to ...[more]

PMID: 33355268

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