Spousal violence and pregnancy termination among married women in Nigeria.

Solanke Lukman Bola

doi:10.4314/ahs.v16i2.11

Abstract

In Nigeria, the relationship between spousal violence and pregnancy termination had not been adequately explored. To assess the prevalence of spousal violence, and examine the relationship between spousal violence and pregnancy termination. Data on spousal violence among ever married women was extracted from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. The outcome variable is pregnancy termination. The explanatory variables were the type of spousal violence experienced by the women in the last 12 months preceding the survey. Descriptive statistical analysis and binary logistic regression were applied using stata version 12. Results show that 13.8% of women had ever terminated pregnancy; 19.9% had ever experienced at least one type of spousal violence; and women who had ever terminated pregnancy had higher prevalence of all types of spousal violence. Women who had ever experienced spousal physical violence were 9% more likely to experience pregnancy termination (OR=1.09; CI: 1.03-2.86); and women who had ever experienced spousal emotional violence were 33% more likely to experience pregnancy termination (OR=1.33; CI: 0.97-1.95). Spousal violence is significantly related to pregnancy termination. Improving women's sexual and reproductive health in the country requires fresh initiatives that address spousal violence to further reduce women's exposure to pregnancy termination.

Highlights

One hundred years of Nigerian nationhood (1914-2014) have accomplished little in terms of improving the health and well-being of women
The current study addressed this limitation by assessing prevalence of spousal violence among women who had ever experienced pregnancy termination; and examining the relationship between spousal violence and pregnancy termination
Women’s experience of pregnancy termination in Nigeria is usually under reported due to the existing law in the country which criminalises all pregnancy termination not connected to saving either the life of the mother or the unborn child, based on the number of women who reported to have ever terminated a pregnancy, we found in consonance with earlier findings[20,21,22, 36] that spousal violence is significantly associated with pregnancy termination

Summary

Introduction

One hundred years of Nigerian nationhood (1914-2014) have accomplished little in terms of improving the health and well-being of women. Improving women’s sexual and reproductive health in the country requires fresh initiatives that address spousal violence to further reduce women’s exposure to pregnancy termination. Spousal violence and pregnancy termination among married women in Nigeria. Woman’s education Partner’s education Partner alcoholic consumption Childhood experience of violence Male dominance of household decision Economic stress Household wealth Place of residence. In Model 1, women who had ever experienced spousal physical violence were 9% more likely to experience pregnancy termination than women who had never experienced spousal physical violence (OR=1.09, p

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Conclusion