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Pattern of spousal physical abuse and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Uyo, Nigeria

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Original Article

Author Details : Augustine Umoh, Emmanuel Inyang-Etoh

Volume : 4, Issue : 2, Year : 2017

Article Page : 203-207

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Abstract

Background: Spousal physical abuse among pregnant women continues to occur in our environment due to dysfunctional marital social relationships, against the backdrop of violation of the rights of affected women with possible untoward consequences on their pregnancy.
Methods: Relevant information were obtained through structured self-administered questionnaire administered through simple random sampling technique to consenting women attending antenatal clinic in the centre studied.
Results: The prevalence of spousal physical abuse among respondents was 10.2%, and 8.6% of the respondents reported spousal abuse in the index pregnancy. The mean age of respondents was 29.1years + 5.2 and most (88.9%) of the respondents who reported spousal abuse were married. Over half (51.1%) of the respondents who reported spousal abuse had attained tertiary level of education. Husbands of respondents with higher levels of education were more likely to abuse their spouses than those with lower levels of education; p< 0.001. The majority (31.2%) of the husbands who abuse their spouses were civil servants. Respondents’ husbands who performed unskilled/low-skilled jobs were significantly more likely to abuse their spouses than husbands who engaged in high-skilled jobs; p< 0.001 More than a quarter (26.7%) of the respondents who reported abuse were slapped by their husbands and spousal abuse was an occasional occurrence in more than half (53.4%) of the respondents.
Conclusion: Spousal physical abuse is a continuing social problem in Uyo and men with higher levels of education and those with un-skilled/low-skilled jobs were significantly more likely to physically abuse their wives in the study population.

Keywords: Domestic violence, Pattern spousal violence, Violence in pregnancy, Spousal abuse, Physical abuse pregnancy, Nigeria

How to cite : Umoh A, Inyang-etoh E, Pattern of spousal physical abuse and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Uyo, Nigeria. Indian J Obstet Gynecol Res 2017;4(2):203-207

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