Intimate Partner Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa: Is Education Associated with Help Seeking Behaviour in Tanzania?

Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a universal public health problem. Education has been regarded as a protective factor against (IPV), its influence on help-seeking behaviour remains underexplored, particularly in the Tanzanian context. This study examines the influence of education on help seeking behaviour among women who experienced IPV in Tanzania. Using data from the 2022 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS), we analyse the role of formal education on help seeking responses among women aged 15-49. Guided by Heise’s (1998) Integrated Ecological Framework, we estimate a probit regression model incorporating individual, relational and community level variables. The results indicate that, after accounting for broader community factors, formal education alone is not significantly associated with help seeking behaviour. These findings highlight the need to complement formal education with gender transformative programming and targeted interventions for women to effectively promote help seeking in IPV contexts.