Citation

Iliyasu Z, Galadanci HS, Abubakar S, Auwal MS, Odoh C, Salihu HM, Aliyu MH. Int. J. Gynaecol. Obstet. 2015; 133(1): 32-36.

Affiliation

Departments of Health Policy and Medicine, Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Nashville, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ijgo.2015.08.010

PMID

26948339

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) among women attending a large urban fertility clinic in Kano, Nigeria.

METHODS: Interviewers administered questionnaires to a cross-section of women attending an infertility clinic in Northwest Nigeria, regarding their experience of IPV and associated factors.

RESULTS: In total, 373 individuals were interviewed. Of the individuals interviewed, 134 (35.9%; 95% confidence Interval [CI] 31.1%-41.0%) had experienced at least one form of IPV in the preceding year. Of the 134 patients who had encountered violence, 126 (94.0%), 111 (82.8%), 47 (35.1%), and 25 (18.7%) had experienced psychological, sexual, verbal, and physical forms of violence, respectively. Of the affected individuals, 34 (25.4%) experienced multiple forms of violence, with spouses being the main perpetrators. A lack of formal education (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.21; 95%CI 1.21-7.43), employment in the informal sector (OR 2.01; 95%C: 1.02-4.52), and having an unemployed spouse (OR 1.56; 95%CI 1.02-3.15) or one with low level of education (OR 2.32; 95%CI 1.87-4.21) were independently associated with IPV.

CONCLUSION: In this setting, women who were infertile experienced a high incidence of IPV. Women presenting at fertility clinics should be screened for IPV and provided with links to appropriate support services.

Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en