Intimate partner violence among pregnant women attending antenatal care services in the rural Gambia

Abstract

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to any behavior by either a current or ex-intimate partner or would-be rejected lover that causes physical, sexual, or psychological harm. It is the most common form of violence in women’s lives. According to a World Health Organization report, about 1 in 3 women worldwide experience at least one form of IPV from an intimate partner at some point in her life. In the Gambia, about 62% of pregnant women experience at least one form of violence from an intimate partner. IPV has severe physical and mental health consequences on a woman ranging from minor bodily injury to death. It also increases the risk of low birth weight, premature delivery, and neonatal death. Methods A health facility-based cross-sectional study design was carried out to assess the magnitude and factors associated with intimate partner violence among pregnant women seeking antenatal care in the rural Gambia. The study enrolled 373 pregnant women, and a multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondents. An interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from the study participants. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS Ver.22. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to determine the association between dependent and independent variables. Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed to determine the presence and strength of associated factors with IPV. Result The study reveals that the prevalence of IPV in The Gambia is 67%, with psychological violence (43%) being the most common form of IPV reported by the respondents. The multivariate logistic regression result reveals that being aged 35 years or older [AOR 5.1(95% CI 1.5–17.8)], the experience of parents quarreling during childhood [AOR 1.7(95% CI 1.0–2.75)], and having cigarette smoking partners [AOR 2.3 (95% CI 1.10–4.6)] were significantly associated with IPV during pregnancy. Conclusion This study has demonstrated that all forms of IPV in rural Gambia are frequent. Women older than 35 years, had experienced parents quarreling, had a partner who smoked, and a partner who fight with others were more likely report IPV compared to other pregnant women in the study. We recommend that IPV screening should be included as an integral part of routine antenatal care services in The Gambia. Community-based interventions that include indigenous leaders, religious leaders, and other key stakeholders are crucial to create awareness on all forms of IPV and address the risk factors found to influence the occurrence of IPV in rural Gambia.

Exposure to interparental violence and intimate partner violence among women in Papua New Guinea

“…The prevalence found in this study is similar to those of other studies conducted in Asia–Pacific countries including Bangladesh [ 46 ] and Afghanistan [ 47 ]. However, the finding in this current study is higher than those found in prior studies, which include 39% in India [ 48 ], 40% in Pakistan [ 49 ], and 45.3% in Bangladesh [ 50 ], but lower than 82.7% in rural Bangladesh [ 51 ], and 67% in the Gambia [ 52 ]. The high prevalence of IPV found in this research may be a result of the country's rigid conventional attitudes and gender standards, as well as poor access to public health education, justice, and social services, which have been reported to influence IPV perpetration [ 47 , 53 , 54 ].…”

“…This could be related to cultural beliefs and customs including male dominance in decision-making, female inheritance, polygamy, and religious issues, which could make disclosing any IPV experience in rural PNG difficult [ 65 ]. It is also likely that there was under-reporting among rural women in PNG, which could be related to the sensitivity around gender-based abuse and discussing female issues in the PNG environment, including rejection, embarrassment, or stigma connected with domestic violence [ 52 , 66 ]. As a result, more research is required to explain why there are discrepancies between rural and urban women in PNG.…”

Prevalence, Correlates, and Trends of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Gambia: Results From 2 National Cross-Sectional Health Surveys

“…A health facility-based cross-sectional study conducted in rural Gambia of 373 pregnant women reported the IPV prevalence of 67%. 25 Another cross-sectional study done in a teaching hospital in Gambia of 136 pregnant women reported the IPV prevalence of 61.8%. 26…”

Nearly Half of Women Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy in Northwest Ethiopia, 2021; The Role of Social Support and Decision-Making Power

“…There are also studies conducted in other African countries mentioning a higher IPV prevalence rate than found in our study. For instance, in Kenya-66.9% ( 36 ) and Gambia-67% ( 10 ). This variation could be due to the fact that women's health is getting global attention and violence against women is nowadays considered to be a violation of human rights.…”

“…The magnitude of IPV ranged from 4–54% worldwide ( 8 ). Other studies conducted in Uganda and Gambia revealed IPV during pregnancy was 40.6 and 67%, respectively ( 9 , 10 ). In Ethiopia, the pooled prevalence of IPV was 26.1% in 2018 ( 11 ).…”