Intimate Partner Violence and Associated Factors among Pregnant Women, a Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at a Tertiary health centre in Southwest Nigeria. Study Design: This research was a cross sectional descriptive study among pregnant women. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the antenatal clinics of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. Methodology: The Women Abuse Screening Tool (WAST) was used to asses IPV among the participants. WAST has 8 items that assess physical, emotional and sexual abuse. It has good psychometric properties and able to discriminate between abused and non-abused women. Analysis was done using SPSS version 25 and various statistical tests like T-test and Chi 2 were done as appropriate. Results: The average age of the respondents was 31.29yrs ±4.54. The prevalence of abuse among the respondents was 7.9% The main factors associated with abuse were unemployment (T test = -2.05, P = .04, CI = -1.54  ̶ -.032), low income (T = 3.31, P = .001, CI = .042  ̶ .160), depression (corr.coeff = .151, P = .012) and suicidal ideation (T test = -2.045, P = .04, CI = -3.041 ̶ -.054) Conclusion: This study shows that there is a high rate of IPV among pregnant women and the factors associated with it were unemployment, low income, depression and suicidal ideation. Perhaps, routinely screening for IPV during pregnancy will help in early identification of women at risk of IPV.