Social network diffusion effects of an intimate partner violence prevention program in rural Nepal
Outcomes: Gender‑Based Violence
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-aways Social norms—particularly injunctive norms around gender roles, violence acceptability, and help-seeking—are highly responsive to diffusion through social networks and can shift at the community level even among individuals not directly exposed to an intervention. The discussion highlights that normative change spreads beyond close interpersonal ties and may operate as a broader community phenomenon, while other behaviors (e.g., financial decision-making or alcohol use) diffuse more strongly within close relationships. This underscores that social norms are both socially transmitted and structurally embedded, and that leveraging social networks is a critical pathway for achieving sustained, community-wide change in gender equity and reductions in intimate partner violence (IPV).
Objectives The study aimed to assess whether the impacts of an IPV prevention intervention in rural Nepal diffuse through social networks from direct participants to their social network members, and to examine how relationship closeness influences this diffusion.
Methods The study used a longitudinal, quasi-experimental design embedded within a mixed-methods evaluation of the Change Starts at Home intervention. Data were collected at baseline and midline from intervention participants (egos) and their nominated social network members (alters) across 13 communities (N=258 alters). Social network analysis was combined with propensity score-adjusted generalized estimating equation (GEE) models using a difference-in-difference approach. Social norms were measured primarily through a validated partner violence norms scale capturing injunctive norms related to gender roles, violence acceptability, and help-seeking behaviors.
Results Significant diffusion effects were observed for positive injunctive norms among alters of both direct participants and community members compared to controls. Improvements also diffused to alters in financial decision-making, relationship quality, and (to a lesser extent) communication and alcohol use. Diffusion effects were stronger among closer social ties for certain outcomes (e.g., financial decision-making and alcohol use), while injunctive norms diffused broadly regardless of closeness. Additionally, alters of participants who experienced reductions in IPV were significantly less likely to report IPV themselves, suggesting potential diffusion of behavioral outcomes.
Conclusions The study concludes that social network diffusion is a key mechanism through which IPV prevention interventions can achieve broader community impact. By demonstrating that normative and relational changes extend beyond direct participants, the findings support integrating diffusion strategies into intervention design. Addressing social norms at the network and community level is essential for achieving sustained reductions in IPV and advancing gender equity.
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