Abstract

Abstract Background: It has been documented that pregnant women who are exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) are prone to the risk of complications both for the mother and the baby. There is a need to identify the reasons for this abuse. Objectives: To identify the prevalence, determinants, and consequences of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) among pregnant women in Tertiary Health Institutions in Abia State. Materials and Method: This was a cross-sectional Study of 214 pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic in the two Tertiary Health Institutions in Abia State using pretested questionnaires administered to attendees who consented to participate. Analysis of data was done using SPSS Version 16. Results: The mean age of the 214 participants was 30.15 ± 5.88 years. The Prevalence of intimate partner violence among pregnant women in our study was 32.7 %( 70/214). We did not establish any statistical association between age of women or that of her partner, duration of the marriage, her religion, parity or educational status of the partner and IPV (p>0.05). We established a statistically significant association between social habits of the partner and IPV (p< 0.05). About 31 %( 22) of the IPV victims had sustained an emotional/ physical injury while 20 % (14) had been hospitalized. Social habits of the spouse (13%) were the highest trigger for the abuse followed by financial problems (10%). Majority of victims 68.6 %( 48) did not feel the abuse should be reported. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a high prevalence of IPV among pregnant women.

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