Women living with domestic violence: Ecological framework-guided qualitative systematic review

Women bear the burden of domestic violence and most of their perpetrators are male spouses, ex-partners, or family members such as their in-laws. Hence, this review aimed to consolidate qualitative studies that examined the perspectives of women who experienced domestic violence using the ecological framework. A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies were conducted. Six electronic databases were searched from each database's point of inception till February 2021. Thirty-six studies were included. Three themes were synthesized: (1) The experiences and consequences of living with domestic violence, (2) Why women “don't just leave”?, and (3) From “fear” to “freedom”: actions against domestic violence. Based on the consolidated experiences of women victims of domestic violence, this review discussed the emergence of new threats in domestic violence and the societal or cultural norms that are associated with domestic violence risk factors and help-seeking behaviors. This research recommends tailoring interventions specific to cultures and societal norms and running campaigns to raise domestic violence awareness.