Intimate Partner Violence and Its Associated Factors Among Women in Owo, Ondo-State, Southwest, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Intimate Partner Violence is a public health problem of global magnitude that majorly affects women and is often under-reported. Objectives: This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence, its pattern, and its associated factors with a view to reducing the burden. Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study of 347 consenting adult females. Data was collected using the adaptation of the World Health Organization’s Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women questionnaire–a cross-culturally validated instrument. Data were analysed using the SPSS version 22 and a p-value < 5% was considered significant. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 41.77 ± 15.64 years. The overall prevalence of IPV was 71.2%. The types of violence in descending order revealed controlling behaviour (49.6%), psychological (47.0%), physical (32.9%), and sexual (19.6%). IPV was significantly associated with marital status (p = 0.023), partners’ being drunk (p = 0.025), money problems (p = 0.002), absence of food at home (p = 0.015), jealousy (p=0.012), sex refusal (p =< 0.001), disobedience to partners (p = 0.003), other situations like children matters (p =< 0.001) and partners’ belief in wife-beating (p = 0.002). Logistic regression revealed partners’ belief in wife beating (OR = 3.734, CI = 1.610 to 8.660, p = 0.002) to be the sole predictor of Intimate Partner Violence. Conclusion: Intimate Partner Violence was prevalent and solely predicted by Partners belief in wife-beating. This, therefore, calls for partners’ education against such beliefs.