Influence of financial strain on intimate partner violence and the moderating role of employment status among wives in Nigerian military homes

This study examines the influence of financial strain on intimate partner violence (physical and psychological) experienced by wives of military personnel in Nigeria. The moderating role of employment status was also sought. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire made up of standardized scales with appropriate psychometric properties. Participants of the cross-sectional survey were purposively sampled and comprised 284 female spouses of military personnel in South-Western Nigerian. Results indicated a significant difference in the level of physical [t(282) = 6.775; p < .05] and psychological violence [t(282) = 8.388; p < .05] reported by participants with high and low financial strain. Employment status did not moderate the influence of financial strain on both dimensions of intimate partner violence (β1 = 0.027; p > .05; β2 = 0.052; p > .05) and accounted for an insignificant R2 increase of 0.01% and 0.08%, respectively. The practical implications of findings for intervention and future studies were discussed.