Partner alcohol consumption and intimate partner violence against women in sexual unions in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Introduction Intimate partner violence is increasingly gaining attention as the leading form of violence against women globally, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. Given that substance abuse, especially alcohol consumption has long been associated with aggressive behaviour, emotional abuse, and sexual misconduct, it is surprising that studies on the potential association between partner’s alcohol consumption and intimate partner violence are scarce. The current study seeks to fill this gap in the literature by examining the association between partner’s alcohol consumption and intimate partner violence among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods Cross-sectional survey data of 89,229 women aged 15 to 49 in sexual unions from 21 sub-Saharan African countries were pooled from the Demographic and Health Surveys. Percentages with their corresponding confidence intervals (CIs) were used to present the results of the prevalence of partner’s alcohol consumption and intimate partner violence. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between partner’s alcohol consumption and intimate partner violence. The regression analysis results were presented using adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95% CI. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results The pooled prevalence of partner alcohol consumption was 36.3% [36.0–36.6]. The highest prevalence of partner alcohol consumption was found in Burundi (67.1%) with Mali (3.9%) recording the lowest prevalence. Similarly, the overall prevalence of physical violence, emotional violence, and sexual violence among the women were 19.7% [19.2–20.2], 25.0% [24.5–25.5], and 9.7% [9.3–10.1], respectively. In the pooled data, women whose partners consumed alcohol were more likely to experience physical violence [aOR = 2.37, 95% CI = 2.24–2.50], emotional violence [aOR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.86–2.07], and sexual violence [aOR = 2.03, 95% CI = 1.89–2.18] compared to those whose partners did not consume alcohol. In all the 21 countries, women whose partners consumed alcohol had higher odds for physical and emotional violence. The odds of sexual violence was higher among women whose partners consumed alcohol compared to their counterparts whose partners did not in 20 countries, except Namibia. Conclusions We found that partner’s alcohol consumption increases women’s likelihood of experiencing physical, emotional, and sexual violence in sub-Saharan Africa. There is the need to implement behavioural change interventions targeted at male partners to reduce alcohol consumption. The findings call for the need to effectively create and organize support networks in addressing intimate partner violence among married and cohabiting women.

Intimate partner violence in Nepal: Analysis of Nepal Demographic and Health survey 2022

“…A study in India showed that women who experienced their father beating their mother were more likely to accept violence [46]. Witnessing violence during childhood may result in normalization or acceptance of violence by women [41]. Childhood experiences of violence at home reinforce normative form of violence for both men and women which subsequently increases the likelihood of perpetration for men and acceptance for women [47].…”

“…Many studies link partner's alcohol use with perpetration of violence. [39][40][41] . Alcohol consumption is linked with aggressive behavior.…”

“…46 Witnessing violence during childhood may result in normalization or acceptance of violence by women. 41 Childhood experiences of violence at home reinforce normative form of violence for both men and women which subsequently increases the likelihood of perpetration for men and acceptance for women. 47 These findings are consistently reported by various studies.…”

Impact of Alcoholism of Partner on the Mental Health of Women: Findings from an Exploratory Research

“…The most highly reported consequences of partner's alcoholism are the emotional problems, the least reported are the problems of physical violence (Govindappa & Pankajakshi, 2014;Sharma et al, 2016;Sreekumar et al, 2016). Partner's alcohol consumption increases women's likelihood of experiencing emotional, sexual and physical violence (Aboagye, 2022;Sontate et al, 2021). Women are reported to be twice as likely to experience physical abuse, including potentially fatal injuries, as a result of alcoholrelated domestic violence (Ferrari, 2018;Galbicsek, 2020;Myshak et al, 2020).…”

Intimate Partner Violence in Nigeria: A Review of the Literature

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