Prevalence and factors associated with recent intimate partner violence and relationships between disability and depression in post-partum women in one clinic in eThekwini Municipality, South Africa.

Andrew Gibbs,Jill Hannass-Hancock,Mark Tomlinson,Lisa Butler,Tamaryn Crankshaw,Bradley Carpenter,Jennifer Smit,Susan Marie Graham

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0181236

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by pregnant and post-partum women has negative health effects for women, as well as the foetus, and the new-born child. In this study we sought to assess the prevalence and factors associated with recent IPV amongst post-partum women in one clinic in eThekwini Municipality, South Africa, and explore the relationship between IPV, depression and functional limitations/disabilities. Past 12 month IPV-victimisation was 10.55%. Logistic regression modelled relationships between IPV, functional limitations, depressive symptoms, socio-economic measures, and sexual relationship power. In logistic regression models, overall severity of functional limitations were not associated with IPV-victimisation when treated as a continuous overall score. In this model relationship power (aOR0.22, p = 0.001) and depressive symptoms (aOR1.26, p = 0.001) were significant. When the different functional limitations were separated out in a second model, significant factors were relationship power (aOR0.20, p = 0.001), depressive symptoms (aOR1.20, p = 0.011) and mobility limitations (aOR2.96, p = 0.024). The study emphasises that not all functional limitations are associated with IPV-experience, that depression and disability while overlapping can also be considered different drivers of vulnerability, and that women’s experience of IPV is not dependent on pregnancy specific factors, but rather wider social factors that all women experience.

Highlights

Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy and in the post-partum period is relatively common globally [1]
This is higher than a study by Groves, McNaughton-Reyes [3] in South Africa which reported that 5.2% experienced physical and/or sexual IPV during pregnancy and in the post-partum period
In model 1, increasing overall severity of functional limitations had no impact on the likelihood of IPV-victimisation

Summary

Introduction

IPV during pregnancy and in the post-partum period is relatively common globally [1]. In a clinic setting in Durban, South Africa, 5.2% of women in antenatal care experienced physical and/or sexual IPV in the past year [3]. This is a relatively low rate of reporting given the wider prevalence of IPV in South Africa [4, 5], where population-based studies show lifetime physical IPV-victimisation prevalence of 33%, with a past-year prevalence of 13% [6]. Women who experience IPV are more likely to be depressed [8] and have greater physical injuries [7]. In southern and eastern Africa, women who experience IPV are more likely to acquire HIV [10]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion