On the Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence and Quality of Life Among Menopausal Women

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to assess the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and quality of life (QOL) among menopausal women. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 202 postmenopausal women admitted to different healthcare centers. The primary data collection tools were the revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2) and Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL). Results: The participants encompassed 202 postmenopausal women with the mean age of 52.14 ± 5.93 years. The analysis revealed that 70.8% of women were 45 - 55 years, 29.2% of women were 56 - 65 years, and 62.7% of the participants had more than two children. Compared to the non-smoking participants, the smoking women reported more injury violence (P = 0.008). In this study, the effect of the husband and wife’s level of education on IPV was not significant. The menopausal women or their spouses experienced more psychological (P = 0.008) and injury (P = 0.01) violence following their second marriage. The present findings suggested that three types of violence, including psychological (P < 0.001), physical (P = 0.003), and injury (P < 0.001), reported higher levels of psychological symptoms. The women experiencing psychological (P < 0.001) and sexual (P = 0.012) violence reported more severe physical problems than those with no history of violence in menopause. Conclusions: This study provided more profound insights into the relationship between menopause-related quality of life and types of violence among menopausal women. The quality of life in postmenopausal women is significantly declined under domestic violence. Healthcare providers are recommended to be trained on detecting and managing IPV and the corresponding physical and psychological problems.