Prevalence and Associated Factors of Intimate Partner Violence Among Married Women During COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions: A Community-Based Study

Abstract

Objective: Ethiopia has taken unprecedented preventive measures, such as confinement to home and closure of schools and offices to halt the spread of coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, such orders may have been associated with violence against women. Thus, this study intended to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Participants: this study involved married/cohabitated women in Dessie city, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on sample of 617 married women. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to identify and enrol women who are married. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of IPV among women and all statistical analyses were carried out using STATA 14.2. Results: In this study, amongst the 589 married women who were included in the analysis, 22.4% [95% CI: 19.1%, 25.9%] were experienced at least one form of IPV. Additionally, 11.0%, 20.0%, and 13.8% of women also experienced physical, psychological, and sexual IPVs respectively. After adjusting for covariate; being illiterate [AOR=2.37: 95% CI 1.29, 4.35], having illiterate husband [AOR=2.67: 95% CI 1.36, 5.21], having substance user husband (alcohol, chat or cigarettes) [AOR=2.75: 95% CI 1.42, 5.34], and community tolerant attitude to violence [AOR=2.97: 95% CI 1.17, 7.61] were the independent predictors of IPV amongst married women. Conclusions: The study revealed that the prevalence of IPV among married women was comparable to the national pre-COVID figure of IPV. Therefore, national and regional governments should work toward enhancing gender equality, coupled with addressing risk factors at multiple levels, using community- and institution-based approaches to prevent IPV and to specifically achieve SDG5 of eliminating violence against women by 2030.