Intimate partner violence and its associated factors among married women at Jeldu district, Central Ethiopia: A community‐based mixed cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Background and AimsIntimate partner violence is a global threat, regardless of any religious, cultural, or economic differences. Few studies have been conducted before in rural areas of Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of intimate partner violence among married women in Jeldu district.MethodsA community‐based mixed cross‐sectional study was conducted among 620 married women in Jeldu district, west Ethiopia. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select study participants. The quantitative data were checked and entered into Epidata and STATA version 15.0 for analysis. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the associated factors of intimate partner violence. The finding of the quantitative study was triangulated with the findings of focused group discussion.ResultsSix hundred seven married women participated in the study making a response rate of 97.43%. The lifetime and past 12 months prevalence of intimate partner violence was 57.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 53.78%–61.62%) and 53.20% (95% CI: 49.28%–57.12%) respectively. Partner with lower education (adjusted odd ratio [AOR] = 3.64 (95% CI: 1.07–12.38), alcohol intake by partner (AOR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.31–2.81), equal dominance on family affairs (AOR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.18–0.51), and family size >5 (AOR = 4.54, 95% CI: 1.89–10.91) were factors significantly associated with intimate partner violence.ConclusionThe prevalence of intimate partner violence was relatively higher among married women study area. Partner's lower educational status, alcohol intake of the partner, dominance on family issues, and family size were factors associated with intimate partner violence. So, gender offices, and district and regional educational sectors should design appropriate strategies and work hard to tackle the problem.