Department of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Department of Family and Community Health, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana.
Reprod Health. 2024 May 10;21(1):63. doi: 10.1186/s12978-024-01755-8.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is high among women of reproductive age in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, empowering women enables them to confront and mitigate IPV. In this study, we examined the association between the survey-based women's empowerment index (SWPER) and IPV in SSA.
We used data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 19 countries conducted from 2015 to 2021. Our study was restricted to a weighted sample of 82,203 women of reproductive age who were married or cohabiting. We used spatial maps to show the proportions of women who experienced past-year IPV. A five-modelled multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was adopted to examine the association between SWPER and IPV. The results were presented using the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with their respective 95% confidence interval (CI). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
With physical and emotional violence, the country with the highest prevalence was Sierra Leone, with a prevalence of 39.00% and 38.97% respectively. Rwanda (10.34%), Zambia (11.09%), Malawi (15.00%), Uganda (16.88%), and Burundi (20.32%) were the hotspot countries for sexual violence. Angola (34.54%), Uganda (41.55%), Liberia (47.94%), and Sierra Leone (59.98%) were the hotspot countries for IPV. A high SWPER score in attitudes to violence significantly decreased the odds of IPV [AOR = 0.70; 95% CI = 0.66, 0.75]. Also, women with medium score in decision-making were less likely to experience IPV compared to those with lower scores [AOR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.83, 0.95]. However, higher odds of experiencing IPV was found among women with medium score in autonomy compared to those with low scores [AOR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.01, 1.14].
Our study has shown that the three dimensions of SWPER significantly predict IPV among women. Consequently, it is crucial that sub-Saharan African countries implement various initiatives, such as IPV advocacy programs and economic livelihood empowerment initiatives. These initiatives should not only aim to improve women's attitudes to domestic violence but also to enhance their social independence, autonomy, and decision-making capacity.
在撒哈拉以南非洲（SSA），育龄妇女中存在较高水平的亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）。然而，增强妇女权能使她们能够面对和减轻 IPV。在这项研究中，我们研究了基于调查的妇女赋权指数（SWPER）与 SSA 中 IPV 之间的关联。
我们使用了 2015 年至 2021 年期间进行的 19 个国家的人口与健康调查的数据。我们的研究仅限于 82203 名已婚或同居的育龄妇女的加权样本。我们使用空间图显示了过去一年经历过 IPV 的妇女的比例。采用五模型多层二分类逻辑回归分析来检验 SWPER 与 IPV 之间的关系。结果以调整后的优势比（AOR）及其各自的 95%置信区间（CI）表示。统计显著性设定为 p < 0.05。
在身体和情感暴力方面，塞拉利昂的患病率最高，分别为 39.00%和 38.97%。卢旺达（10.34%）、赞比亚（11.09%）、马拉维（15.00%）、乌干达（16.88%）和布隆迪（20.32%）是性暴力的热点国家。安哥拉（34.54%）、乌干达（41.55%）、利比里亚（47.94%）和塞拉利昂（59.98%）是 IPV 的热点国家。在对暴力的态度方面，SWPER 评分较高显著降低了 IPV 的几率[AOR=0.70；95%CI=0.66, 0.75]。此外，与得分较低的女性相比，在决策方面得分中等的女性不太可能经历 IPV[AOR=0.89；95%CI=0.83, 0.95]。然而，与得分较低的女性相比，在自主权方面得分中等的女性经历 IPV 的几率更高[AOR=1.07；95%CI=1.01, 1.14]。
我们的研究表明，SWPER 的三个维度显著预测了女性中的 IPV。因此，撒哈拉以南非洲国家必须实施各种举措，例如倡导 IPV 和经济赋权举措。这些举措不仅应旨在改善妇女对家庭暴力的态度，还应增强她们的社会独立性、自主权和决策能力。
