Women in Asia Face Hidden Risks: Violence and Suicidal Thoughts

This review aims to uncover how common violence from partners is among Asian women aged 19‑45 and how it links to thoughts or attempts of suicide. Researchers will sift through thousands of studies in databases like PubMed and Scopus, up to the end of November 2025. They will also look at unpublished papers and references within articles, using broad search terms to capture all relevant work. Only cross‑sectional studies that compare women who have experienced physical, psychological, or sexual abuse with those who haven’t will be kept. The studies must report on suicidal ideation, plans, or attempts and be written in English. Reviews, conference abstracts, and papers without peer review will be left out. Two independent reviewers will read each study title and abstract, marking those that talk about partner violence or suicide. If they disagree, a third reviewer will decide. The team will pull data on how many women report violence and suicide, what other factors—like poverty or cultural norms—might play a role, and how strong the link is between the two problems.

The data will be combined using a random‑effects statistical model, which assumes that the true effect varies across studies. Results will be shown in forest plots and checked for publication bias with funnel plots. Heterogeneity, or how different the studies are from one another, will be measured with Q and I² statistics. The team will also run subgroup analyses to see if certain groups are more affected. To judge study quality, the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist will be applied. Studies that score poorly on bias will be noted, and sensitivity analyses will test how much they influence the overall picture. The goal is to give clear, region‑specific numbers that policymakers can use. Knowing how often partner abuse leads to suicidal thoughts helps design early screening tools that fit local cultures. The ultimate hope is to change harmful gender expectations, reduce violence, and lower suicide risk for women across Asia.

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