Predictors of Intimate Partner Violence Among Pregnant Women- A Hospital Based Study in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Introduction: Intimate partner violence in Pregnancy is a serious, preventable public health problem that affects millions of women worldwide. The term describes physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse. It has been associated with death of both mother and baby in the severest forms of physical intimate partner violence (IPV), ante-partum hemorrhage, placenta abruption, premature birth, small for age babies, fetal injury from maternal trauma, spontaneous abortion, still births among others. There is a dearth of published studies focusing on IPV among pregnant women in Ghana.Methods: This was an unmatched case control study, conducted among pregnant women who visited the Police Hospital for ANC from June to August 2016. We sought to determine the forms of IPV among cases, and identify the associated risk factors.Results: All three forms of IPV were represented. There was no statistically significant difference between the means of ages of the cases and controls, age of their partners, and duration of relationship. In bivariate analysis, mothers were less likely to be victims of IPVif they had tertiary education, had salaried work or were nulliparous and also if their partners were salaried. They were more likely to be victims of IPV if they took alcohol and if their partners also took alcohol. In the multivariate analysis, however, only partner’s alcoholintake was a significant predictor of IPV (AOR 2.12, p value 0.009).Conclusions: Alcohol use by the partner could be used to screen for IPV among pregnant women in a hospital setting