Title: Intimate Partner Violence against women in Southern Punjab, Pakistan: A
Phenomenological study
Version: 1 Date: 07 Sep 2022
Reviewer's report:
The article "Intimate partner violence against women in Southern Punjab, Pakistan: a
phenomenological study" is a qualitative study aiming to identify the dynamics of IPV using
a socio-ecological framework. While the findings are not novel, the unique contribution of
this study is contextual. That is, population-specific (Southern Punjab, Pakistan) would allow
for evidence-informed development of future programs and interventions. As such, one major
recommendation would be to expand on the implications of these findings, specifically to the
population studied. The authors briefly mentioned such implication in one sentence at the end
of the conclusion paragraph, but more would greatly strengthen this work's contribution.
Other major concerns pertain to the methods and analysis for which this study needs major
revisions to be assessed. There is missing information, making it difficult to assess the quality of
the research presented. I would urge the authors to revise the manuscript based on the following:
- Why were two villages selected from some districts and one village from others?
- What was the process of selecting the villages? If this process was not a random selection,
please elaborate on the implications of your findings and expand on the limitations.
- The paper was not proofread. There is a lot of "XX" that seems should have been replaced with
numbers. For example, "A total of XXX interviews were collected …"
- Need to clarify whether the interviews were conducted with the abusive partner in the home
and present in the same room as the interviewee. The authors mentioned that interviews were
done "at women's homes in a particular place." However, that information does not shed any
light on the presence of the abusive partner. Also, add any limitations of findings if the partner
was at home. If the partner were present, the credibility of the research would be questionable
due to IPV dynamics.
- In the data collection phase, the authors state, "After each interview, a debriefing session was
organized to examine and discuss the responses and resolve discrepancies." However, this step
sounds like part of the analytical process, not the data collection phase. If interviewers were
discussing discrepancies (not only debriefing), please cite this methodological approach.
- Citations are needed for the data analysis procedures (none were provided).
- The authors used a socio-ecological framework, but it is unclear how this framework was
incorporated into their work. Were codes pre-created based on the framework, and the content
coded accordingly, or was the framework only used as a way to interpret the findings?
Other recommendations:
- To put household income into context for a broader readership, please provide poverty levels
for Southern Punjab and/or Pakistan.
- Please reconsider and revise the theme: Non-supportive behavior of formal institutions of
social control. In that paragraph, a sentence indicating non-support of the natal family because
of reporting to the police was included. Lack of support from relatives seems more appropriate
as part of the Relationship level or as a separate theme.
- In the discussion section, the statement indicating that younger wives are at an increased risk
of IPV, which corroborates prior research but is at odds with prior findings, seems contradictory
and confusing; please rephrase.
- Citations are needed when describing the study region as having rigid cultural values.