DISCOVERING THE FORMS OF EMOTIONAL VIOLENCE AMONG MARRIED COUPLES IN SRI LANKA: AN MMEA MODEL-BASED STUDY

Abstract

1. Introduction Emotional violence (EV) is a major segment of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), but past literature has mainly focused on sexual and physical violence. Emotional violence is psychologically distressing and can undermine the victim's confidence and self-esteem. Increasing awareness about EV in Sri Lanka is the primary concern of the authors, so the objective of this paper is to investigate the prevalence and forms of emotional violence among married people in Sri Lanka. 2. Research Methodology The research philosophy was positivist, the approach was deductive, and the strategy was a survey. The research context is the married population in Sri Lanka, and the unit of analysis is married individuals. The sample selection was done through a non-probability sampling technique called snowball sampling. Primary data were collected through a questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. 3. Findings and Discussion It was found that EV exists in most marital relationships, but extreme levels of emotional violence exist within a considerable minority. According to the results, 1 in 10 married individuals in Sri Lanka are extremely emotionally violent. The four forms of emotional violence explored are Restrictive Engulfment, Denigration, Hostile Withdrawal, and Dominance/ Intimidation. The most common form among males is Hostile Withdrawal (at 30%), followed by Dominance/Intimidation (at 27%). The most common form among females is Restrictive Engulfment (37%), followed by Hostile Withdrawal (31%). 4. Conclusion and Implications The findings show that EV is prevalent among married people in Sri Lanka, which provides a contextual contribution to the literature while helping married individuals recognize EV. Relevant education and health authorities may use these findings to increase awareness about forms of EV and investigate ways of reducing EV in Sri Lanka.