As there is a growing concern about the steady increase in the consumer debt and its potential consequences on individuals and families, this study examined the association between personal debt and the risk of domestic violence, which in this study is referred to as violence between man and woman who have a spousal relationship. We used the data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study collected from 2009 to 2016. We applied a generalized estimating equation approach for the analysis of panel data. The results show that the higher the ratio of personal debt to disposable income and the ratio of debt payment to disposal income is, the greater the risk of domestic violence. While the debt to income ratio played a role regarding was related to a heightened risk of domestic violence among the poor group, the debt payment to income ratio was associated with a higher risk of domestic violence among the non-poor group. Implications of the study were discussed.
