Muluneh Muluken Dessalegn, Alemu Yeshemebet Worku, Meazaw Maereg Wagnew
Monitoring Evaluation and Research Department, Amref Health Africa in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
Int J Equity Health. 2021 Jan 6;20(1):13. doi: 10.1186/s12939-020-01355-5.
Help seeking behaviour amongst married women who experienced Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has received limited attention in Africa. This study examines the geographic variation and investigates determinants of help seeking behaviour amongst married women in Ethiopia.
This study analysed data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). Data was extracted for married women age 15-49 years old who experienced IPV. Factors associated with help seeking behaviour were identified using multiple logistic regression adjusted for clustering and weighing. The weighted proportion of factors associated with help seeking behaviour was exported to ArcGIS to conduct autocorrelation analysis.
The prevalence of help seeking behaviour among married women who experienced IPV was 19.8% (95% CI: 15.9-24.3%). Only 9.2% of them sought help from a formal source (such as police, lawyer or doctor). Multiple logistic regression analyses showed physical violence (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.76), educational attainment (AOR=2.1), a partner's alcohol consumption (AOR=1.9), partner's controlling behaviour (AOR= 2.4), partner's employment status, (AOR= 1.9) and wealth index (AOR=2.8) were significantly associated factors with help seeking behaviour among married women who experienced IPV in Ethiopia (P< 0.05). Women in Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella, Harari, Western and Eastern Amhara, and Afar had the lowest odds of help seeking behaviour (P< 0.001) after experiencing IPV.
The findings of this study suggest that poor help seeking behaviour for married women experiencing IPV is a significant public health problem in Ethiopia. Multiple interrelated factors were associated with poor help seeking behaviour. These factors include women's level of educational attainment, women experiencing physical violence, partners exhibiting controlling behaviour, partner's alcohol consumption, the employment status of the partner, and wealth status of the household were important predictors of help seeking behaviour. Policies and interventions need to be tailored to address these factors to improve women's health outcomes and to prevent IPV.
在非洲，遭受亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）的已婚妇女的求助行为受到的关注有限。本研究考察了埃塞俄比亚已婚妇女求助行为的地理差异，并调查了其决定因素。
本研究分析了2016年埃塞俄比亚人口与健康调查（EDHS）的数据。提取了15至49岁遭受IPV的已婚妇女的数据。使用经聚类和加权调整的多重逻辑回归确定与求助行为相关的因素。将与求助行为相关因素的加权比例导出到ArcGIS中进行自相关分析。
遭受IPV的已婚妇女中求助行为的发生率为19.8%（95%CI：15.9 - 24.3%）。其中只有9.2%的人从正规渠道（如警察、律师或医生）寻求帮助。多重逻辑回归分析显示，身体暴力（调整优势比（AOR）=2.76）、教育程度（AOR=2.1）、伴侣饮酒情况（AOR=1.9）、伴侣的控制行为（AOR=2.4）、伴侣的就业状况（AOR=1.9）和财富指数（AOR=2.8）是埃塞俄比亚遭受IPV的已婚妇女求助行为的显著相关因素（P<0.05）。在经历IPV后，贝尼尚古尔-古穆兹、甘贝拉、哈拉里、阿姆哈拉西部和东部以及阿法尔的妇女求助行为的可能性最低（P<0.001）。
本研究结果表明，遭受IPV的已婚妇女求助行为不佳是埃塞俄比亚一个重大的公共卫生问题。多个相互关联的因素与不佳的求助行为有关。这些因素包括妇女的教育程度、遭受身体暴力的妇女、表现出控制行为的伴侣、伴侣的饮酒情况、伴侣的就业状况以及家庭的财富状况，它们是求助行为的重要预测因素。需要制定政策和干预措施来解决这些因素，以改善妇女的健康状况并预防IPV。
