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An exploratory study of economic abuse among substance-involved women in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia

ABSTRACT Background: Despite accumulating evidence on the disproportionate prevalence of different forms of gender-based violence among substance-involved women, financial or economic abuse has been understudied. Objectives: We examine the prevalence of economic abuse by intimate and non-intimate partners among a sample of 55 substance-involved women in Kyrgyzstan, and the relationship between economic abuse and socio-demographic characteristics and other types of gender-based violence. Methods: Descriptive, bivariate, and correlation analyses are used to examine the main research questions. Results: 89% of the sample experienced at least one incident of economic abuse in their lifetime by either an intimate or non-intimate partner. Subscale analyses revealed that 74.5%, 85.5%, and 63.6% of women experienced at least one incident of economic exploitation, economic control, and employment sabotage in their lifetime, respectively. Bivariate analyses indicated significant associations between economic abuse and age, ethnicity, parental status, and injection drug use. Partner psychological abuse was correlated with economic control, whereas non-intimate partner psychological and physical violence were associated with economic exploitation and employment sabotage. Conclusions: Findings highlight an urgent need to include economic abuse in surveillance efforts, and the need to develop economic empowerment strategies for substance-involved women.