Spousal violence and terminated pregnancy among married nigerian women

Introduction: Violence against women is a serious public health problem globally. Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs in about fifty-percent of women living in sub-Saharan Africa. IPV results in adverse effects on women's physical, mental and reproductive health. This study examines whether IPV is associated with terminated pregnancy among married Nigerian women of reproductive age (15-49 years).

Methods: Data from the 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey were analyzed. The study population included 16,762 sexually-active, fecund, and married Nigerian women. The exposure variable, spousal violence, was defined as exposure to any form of IPV including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse subtypes. The outcome variable was pregnancy termination. Descriptive statistics were used to estimate the prevalences of IPV and pregnancy termination. Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of interest.

Results: The mean age of women in the study was 30.3 years (SD 8.4). Approximately 25.5% and 13.1% of Nigerian women reported IPV and pregnancy termination, respectively. Women who reported any form of IPV had 1.59 higher odds of pregnancy termination (95% CI: 1.44-1.76). Each IPV subtype was associated with higher odds of pregnancy termination: sexual (aOR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.48-2.30); physical (aOR: 1.59, 95% CI 1.41-1.79); and emotional (aOR: 1.47, 95% CI (1.32-1.64).

Conclusion: Spousal violence may be an indicator for pregnancy termination. These findings underscore the need for multifaceted intervention programs to reduce IPV and pregnancy termination in order to promote the overall health of vulnerable Nigerian women.