Prevalence and Associations, by Age Group, of IPV Among AGYW in Rural South Africa.

Amanda Selin,James P. Hughes,Aimée Julien,Audrey Pettifor,Catherine MacPhail,Stephanie M. DeLong,Erica L. Hamilton,Yaw Agyei,Kathleen Kahn,Rhian Twine

doi:10.1177/2158244019830016

Abstract

The prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) is alarmingly high among South African adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). Limited data exist exploring how IPV prevalence and its risk factors differ by age. Study data were from the baseline visit of HPTN 068, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted from 2011 to 2015 in Mpumalanga, South Africa. A cohort of 2,533 AGYW, aged 13 years to 20 years, answered survey questions on demographics and behaviors, including their experiences of physical and sexual violence ever and in the past 12 months. We calculated the prevalence of IPV and related risk factors, as well as prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals, stratified by age. Nearly one quarter (19.5%, 95% CI = [18.0, 21.2]) of AGYW experienced any IPV ever (physical or sexual) by a partner. The prevalence of any IPV ever among AGYW aged 13 years to 14 years, 15 years to 16 years, and 17 years to 20 years was 10.8%, 17.7%, and 32.1%, respectively. Key variables significantly associated with any IPV ever across all age groups included borrowing money from someone outside the home in the past 12 months, ever having had vaginal sex, ever having had anal sex, and consuming any alcohol. Few statistically significant associations were unique to specific age groups. The history of IPV among the youngest AGYW is a critical finding and should be a focus of prevention efforts.

Highlights

Global Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)Women’s experience of IPV is a global concern, and intervention efforts to decrease the burden of IPV are vital
Among AGYW in rural South Africa, we found that the prevalence of sexual or physical IPV experienced was close to 20%
Our analyses show a low prevalence of IPV risk factors, but AGYW who experience IPV are more likely to report them

Summary

Introduction

Global Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)Women’s experience of IPV is a global concern, and intervention efforts to decrease the burden of IPV are vital. A multicountry study published in 2014 found that among 15-year to 19-year-old adolescent young women in Johannesburg, prevalence in the past year of physical IPV was 30.9% and sexual IPV was 18.3% (Decker et al, 2014). A 2015 study in a peri-urban area of South Africa found that 16-year to 24-year-old AGYW who reported multiple partnerships reported a high burden of IPV; 80% reported physical IPV and 67% reported sexual IPV in the past 12 months (Zembe, Townsend, Thorson, Silberschmidt, & Ekstrom, 2015).

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Discussion

Conclusion