Abstract
In Iran, violence against women (VAWG) remains highly prevalent, with reported rates ranging from 22.9% to 66%, underscoring the need for effective, contextually grounded interventions.
This scoping review aimed to systematically identify, map, and critically appraise intervention strategies addressing VAWG in Iran.
Guided by PRISMA-ScR and the PICOS framework, comprehensive searches were conducted across nine databases from 2000 to September 2024. Eligible studies included intervention-based research conducted in Iran that reported outcomes related to violence reduction, psychological well-being, or empowerment. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria.
The included studies demonstrated heterogeneous designs, theoretical frameworks, and outcome measures. Four interventions targeted primary prevention through educational and skills-based approaches, five addressed secondary prevention by supporting women currently experiencing violence, and four focused on tertiary prevention through long-term psychosocial or empowerment-based support. High-impact interventions reported statistically significant reductions in domestic or intimate partner violence and improvements in psychological resilience, self-efficacy, and mental health outcomes. Empowerment-, behavioral-, and psychosocial-based frameworks emerged as the most consistently practical approaches within the Iranian context.
Findings highlight the importance of culturally adapted, theory-informed, and multi-level interventions for addressing GBV in Iran. While several interventions demonstrated promising outcomes, variability in methodological rigor and limited long-term evaluation indicate the need for continued refinement and more robust research designs. This review provides an evidence base to inform policy and practice and to guide future intervention development in Iran. It offers insights relevant to other settings with similar sociocultural and structural contexts.
•Thirteen intervention studies addressing violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Iran were identified and synthesized.•Interventions demonstrated a reductions in domestic partner violence and improvements in psychological well-being.•Empowerment, behavioral, and psychosocial-based interventions showed the strongest and most consistent outcomes.•Interventions addressing multiple levels of prevention were more effective than single-focus approaches.•Findings highlight the importance of culturally adapted theory-informed strategies in Iran and comparable contexts.