Abstract
Background Disclosure is a vital step in the process of finding a lasting solution and breaking the abuse chain in a victim woman by the intimate partner. Objectives This study is aimed at assessing the disclosure of intimate partner violence and associated factors among victim women in Dilla town, Gedeo Zone, South Ethiopia, 2018. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study design triangulated with the qualitative method was employed. Data were collected from 280 women victims of intimate partner violence using pretested, structured, and interviewer-administered questionnaires. SPSS version 20.0 software was used for analysis. Binary logistic regression and a multivariate logistic regression model were fitted to assess the association between the independent and dependent variables. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews and categorized into themes and triangulated with the quantitative result. Results Half of the respondents (51%) disclosed intimate partner violence. Partner alcohol use (AOR = 1.99; 95% CI:1.18, 3.34), women experiencing a single type of intimate partner violence (AOR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.79), women having strong social support (AOR = 2.52; 95% CI:1.44, 4.41), and women whose partners' having primary (AOR = 2.04; 95% CI:1.07, 3.9) and secondary education (AOR = 2.16; 95% CI: 1.07, 4.33) were significantly associated with the disclosure of intimate partner violence as the qualitative result shows most of the women prefer their family to disclose and those who kept silent were due to economic dependency, societal norms towards wife beating, arranged marriage, and not getting the chance especially those who went to the hospital. Conclusion Nearly 50% of victims of intimate partner violence women disclose intimate partner violence to others. Thus, it is needed for stakeholders to use their efforts to further increase the disclosure of violence and respect women's rights and equality.
Highlights
Intimate partner violence is fundamental to public health challenges and violates women’s human rights
This study showed 51.4% of violated women disclosed their intimate partner violence experience to others, which is higher than the study done in Lagos, Nigeria, that found out 46% of violated women
Only 8% of victim women disclosed their violent experience to health care providers that is inconsistent with a study done in Serbia, which suggests 25.7% of victim women disclosed their violent experience to health caregivers [5]
Summary
Intimate partner violence is fundamental to public health challenges and violates women’s human rights. Partner alcohol use (AOR = 1:99; 95% CI:1.18, 3.34), women experiencing a single type of intimate partner violence (AOR = 0:38, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.79), women having strong social support (AOR = 2:52; 95% CI:1.44, 4.41), and women whose partners’ having primary (AOR = 2:04; 95% CI:1.07, 3.9) and secondary education (AOR = 2:16; 95% CI: 1.07, 4.33) were significantly associated with the disclosure of intimate partner violence as the qualitative result shows most of the women prefer their family to disclose and those who kept silent were due to economic dependency, societal norms towards wife beating, arranged marriage, and not getting the chance especially those who went to the hospital. It is needed for stakeholders to use their efforts to further increase the disclosure of violence and respect women’s rights and equality
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have