Personality Trait and Attitude towards Domestic Violence among Currently Married Women in South-West Nigeria

Background: In Nigeria, the prevalence of domestic violence (spousal) among women age 15-49 years indicate an upward trend, from 25% in 2008 to 31% in 2013 and 36% in 2018. However, data also indicates more than one quarter of women in Nigeria as at 2018 support wife beating under certain circumstances. Despite studies linking personality trait to attitude towards violence, studies in this regard seems to receive little or no attention in Nigeria. This study, examines the effect of personality trait on attitude of women towards domestic violence in Nigeria. Methods: The study collected primary data, while adopting a cross-sectional research design. The study population comprised of women of reproductive age (15-49) years, currently married, and living with their partner. A total of 400 women who had experienced domestic violence were purposively surveyed to represent the southwest region. Hierarchical Multiple Regression analysis was performed. Data for the study was analyzed using SPSS Version 22 software. Results: Findings from the study showed high prevalence of verbal/emotional violence (60%), followed by physical violence (37%) and sexual violence (23%). Also, 47% of the women demonstrated a negative (supportive) attitude towards domestic violence. The multivariate result revealed of the five personality type (Big Five) examined, three namely: agreeableness, conscientiousness and neuroticism significantly predicted attitude towards domestic violence. Conclusion: The study found nearly half of the women demonstrated supportive attitude towards domestic violence, while personality trait was an important predictor of attitude towards domestic violence.