Pattern of intimate partner violence disclosure among pregnant women attending ante-natal clinic in Oyo East Local Government, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health problem.  Despite being a phenomenon that occurs globally, few studies have reviewed the  issue of intimate partner violence among pregnant women as it relates to disclosure of abuse. This study sets out to determine the prevalence and pattern of disclosure of intimate partner violence among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Oyo East Local Government of Oyo State.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study among pregnant women aged 18–49 years. A total of 350 pregnant women in the sole secondary health care facility and 3 out of the 18 primary health care facilities randomly selected by balloting were consecutively recruited. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the WHO Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence was used to collect data. Data were analysed with SPSS® version 16.
Results: Of 252 (72.0%) women who had been exposed to violence by their partner in pregnancy, 72 (28.6%) disclosed their IPV experience. The experience was  disclosed to relatives, friends and religious leaders. Of the 72 that disclosed their IPV experience, 31 (43.1%) reported for the purpose of seeking redress through religious or local leaders, healthcare professionals and law enforcement agencies.
Conclusion: Intimate partner violence is common among pregnant women, but a  culture of silence still persists, making identification of the exposed difficult. These data may encourage healthcare providers to include screening for IPV in the curriculum of the antenatal care.

Keywords: disclosure, intimate partner, pattern, pregnancy, violence