Prevalence Of Physical Partner Violence Research Articles

An analysis of changes in the prevalence and patterns of intimate partner violence against women in seven Asian countries

BackgroundAssessments of changes in prevalence and patterns of violence against women are critical to inform prevention and response approaches and to monitor progress towards elimination. Most countries in the Asia Region have data on violence and several have completed second and third waves of surveys. This study sought to assess and compare the prevalence and patterns of physical and/or sexual partner violence in seven Asian countries with at least two rounds of comparable national-level data.MethodsWe conducted primary descriptive analyses using Demographic and Health data from India, Nepal, and Pakistan (South Asia), and from Cambodia, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and extracted data from reports from Vietnam (Southeast Asia). We examined differences in partner violence by type of violence, reference periods, severity of violence, and age group. Pearson chi-square tests and Mantel-Haenszel test for trend were used to assess whether differences between time points were significant (p < 0.05).ResultsPrevalence and patterns of violence vary across countries and sub-regions. In Southeast Asia, women in Cambodia and Vietnam experienced increasing and relatively high levels of sexual violence alongside declining physical violence. Reported levels of violence were lowest in the Philippines and prevalence showed consistent declines. Timor-Leste stands out as having the highest prevalence of physical partner violence, and there were consistently significant increases in estimates. Women in South Asia experienced predominantly physical violence and there were consistent declines in all three countries, though physical violence increased among older women in India.ConclusionsData from Asian countries where more than one prevalence survey had been done provided a unique opportunity to analyse differences in estimates of violence against women at two time points. Deeper analyses into types and severity of violence revealed that overall prevalence estimates hid more complex patterns. There are clear limitations in using survey data to understand the nuances which highlighted the need for depth analysis identifying contextual factors of violence to inform situation specific policies and interventions for the greatest impact. It is also clear that more than two data points are necessary to identify change over time, and interventions driving or preventing that change.

Partner violence and associated factors among pregnant women in Nkangala district, Mpumalanga

Objectives. To determine the prevalence of physical partner violence and associated factors among pregnant women in Nkangala district, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Design. In a cross-sectional study, 1 502 pregnant women systematically selected at primary health care facilities were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Results. Almost 9% of the subjects reported experiencing physical partner violence in the past 6 months. About 19% of the women tested positive for HIV, 12.6% reported that their partners were HIV positive, and 17.3% reported having had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) other than HIV in the past 12 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that having 1 - 3 (odds ratio (OR) 2.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16 - 4.35) and 4 or more children (OR 8.00, 95% CI 2.92 - 21.96), concern that the partner drinks too much (OR 4.50, CI 2.49 - 8.00), having had an STI (other than HIV) in the past 12 months (OR 1.95, CI 1.07 - 3.58), and experiencing severe psychological distress (OR 2.02, CI 1.06 - 3.85) were significantly associated with physical partner violence in the past 6 months. Conclusion. Physical partner violence among pregnant women in this predominantly rural setting is moderately common. Factors identified as associated with physical partner violence can be taken into consideration in partner violence interventions.