Department of Population and Health, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Department of Geography and Regional Planning, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Reprod Health. 2023 Jul 26;20(1):110. doi: 10.1186/s12978-023-01651-7.
Evidence shows that intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs more frequently in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) than in other regions of the world. However, limited empirical studies exist on the help-seeking behaviour of women who had experienced IPV in SSA. This study aimed to examine the help-seeking behaviour of women who had experienced IPV in SSA and the factors associated with their inability to seek help after experiencing IPV.
This is a quantitative study based on data from the latest demographic and health surveys (DHS) of 24 SSA countries. A sample of 53,446 women aged 15-49 years was included in the study. Associations between women's background characteristics and their help-seeking behaviour after experiencing IPV were examined using proportions and multivariate logistic regression models.
Overall, 60.7% of the sample did not seek help after experiencing IPV. Women's inability to seek help for IPV was highest in Mali (80.4%) and lowest in Tanzania (43.1%). Women's level of education, wealth status, marital status, age, occupation, and country of residence had significant associations with 'not seeking help' for any type of IPV. Those who experienced generational violence (AOR = 1.26, CI = 1.19, 1.33) and those who justified wife-beating (AOR = 1.09, CI = 1.07, 1.15) had higher odds of not seeking help for any type of IPV compared to those who did not experience generational violence or did not justify wife beating. Women who experienced emotional violence (AOR = 0.53, CI = 0.51, 0.55) and physical violence (AOR = 0.74, CI = 0.70, 0.76) had lower odds of not seeking help for any type of IPV compared to their counterparts who did not experience these types of violence.
Women's inability to seek help for IPV is common in many SSA countries. This study shows that several socio-demographic factors, such as women's age, educational levels, wealth status, and marital status are associated with their inability to seek help for IPV. Additionally, women's justification of wife beating and experience of generational abuse are strongly associated with their inability to seek help for IPV. These factors need to be considered critically in IPV interventions in SSA.
有证据表明，亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）在撒哈拉以南非洲（SSA）比在世界其他地区更为普遍。然而，关于 SSA 中经历过 IPV 的女性的求助行为的实证研究有限。本研究旨在调查 SSA 中经历过 IPV 的女性的求助行为，以及与她们经历 IPV 后无法寻求帮助相关的因素。
这是一项基于 24 个 SSA 国家最新人口与健康调查（DHS）数据的定量研究。该研究纳入了年龄在 15-49 岁的 53446 名女性。使用比例和多变量逻辑回归模型，检验了女性背景特征与经历 IPV 后求助行为之间的关联。
总体而言，60.7%的样本在经历 IPV 后未寻求帮助。在马里，女性无法因 IPV 寻求帮助的比例最高（80.4%），而在坦桑尼亚，这一比例最低（43.1%）。女性的教育程度、财富状况、婚姻状况、年龄、职业和居住国与“未寻求任何类型 IPV 的帮助”显著相关。与未经历代际暴力的女性相比，经历过代际暴力的女性（AOR=1.26，CI=1.19，1.33）和为打老婆行为辩护的女性（AOR=1.09，CI=1.07，1.15）寻求任何类型 IPV 帮助的可能性更高。与未经历情感暴力（AOR=0.53，CI=0.51，0.55）和身体暴力（AOR=0.74，CI=0.70，0.76）的女性相比，经历过这些暴力形式的女性寻求任何类型 IPV 帮助的可能性更低。
在许多 SSA 国家，女性无法因 IPV 寻求帮助的情况很常见。本研究表明，一些社会人口因素，如女性年龄、教育水平、财富状况和婚姻状况，与她们无法寻求 IPV 帮助有关。此外，女性对打老婆行为的辩护和经历代际虐待与她们无法寻求 IPV 帮助密切相关。在 SSA 的 IPV 干预中，需要认真考虑这些因素。
