Abstract:
Back ground: Increasingly domestic violence is being recognized as an important
public health concern. Information about women’s health in the third world countries
has seen relatively scarce and until recently available information tended to focus on
the most negative indication of women’s health status.
Objective: To assess the prevalence, the factors associated and the health
consequences of physical violence to intimate partner against married women of
reproductive age group.
Method: A quantitative and qualitative study was conducted in Yilmana Densa
Woreda between September, 2007 to April, 2008 involving married women for the
quantitative part and abused women for the qualitative part. Structured questionnaire
was prepared for the quantitative part and an in-depth interview was carried out with
purposively selected subjects. SPSS version 12 statistical package was used for data
entry and analysis and the qualitative part was recorded, transcribed in to Amharic
and fully translated to English and analyzed descriptively. A total of 836 married
women and 10 abused women were involved.
Result: The quantitative study revealed that the life time and the last three months
prevalence of physical violence to intimate partner was 33.3% and 9.0% respectively.
The most frequently observed types of physical violence was slapping or hitting with
fist and kicking or hitting with leg. The out comes of physical violence was ranged
from small laceration to abortion. The study also shown that having history of
parental spousal abuse than don’t have (AOR= 2.59, 95%CI= 1.88, 3.59), and
spouses having other wife than don’t have (AOR= 1.89, 95%CI= 1.28, 2.81) were the
most triggering factors to increase the magnitude of physical violence against married
women. On the other hand presence of confidant have strong protective effect for
violence (AOR= 0.55, 95%CI= 0.35, 0.88 respectively). The result of the in-depth
interview revealed that economic reasons, initiation of marriage by family, husband’s
alcohol consumption and family interference were the most triggering factors.
Conclusion: The life time prevalence and last three months prevalence of physical
violence to intimate partner was higher and continuing. It is suggested that education
and creation of awareness to the community through IEC, women’s access to
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education and empowerment, promotion of marriage initiated by self, encouraging
the community especially the husbands to have one wife and gender equity are recommended.
