Attitudes and beliefs about family and domestic violence in Australian faith-based communities: A qualitative study

Family and domestic violence (FDV) is a major public health and social issue that is associated with a range of physical, mental and behavioural health outcomes. Religion and faith are powerful and influential in shaping the lives of many individuals and societies, in addition to the social practices, norms and structures that are significant in understanding and responding to FDV. This qualitative study aims to deepen understanding of the influence of religious beliefs and values on attitudes and beliefs of FDV among culturally diverse faith communities in Australia. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 64 participants from a diverse range of cultural and religious backgrounds which included faith leaders, community members and FDV sector workers. Six main themes were identified describing attitudes, beliefs and knowledge about FDV: 1) Faith and religion do not condone violence; 2) Awareness of FDV is increasing, yet remains often poorly understood; 3) FDV is still a taboo topic; 4) Denial and defensiveness about FDV persist; 5) Patience, endurance and forgiveness is often prioritised over safety; 6) Gender roles and norms founded on religious beliefs and interpretations underpin many FDV understandings and responses. These findings demonstrate the tensions between expressions of faith and attitudes to women and FDV. Further exploration of these issues within specific faith communities, as well as how to support and engage with these communities in increasing understandings of FDV and developing effective responses, is needed in the Australian context. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement Department of Social Services, Australian Government ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Australian National University Human Research Ethics Committee All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes n/a