Intimate Partner Violence and Psychiatric Morbidity among Ever Married Women in Urban Area

Abstract

Background: Women facing violence is an important public health issue worldwide. A married women may experience violence within the family multiple times/ have overlapping of different types of violence namely physical, sexual, emotional/ psychological, controlling behavior culturally/ economically by her husband or in-laws. Intimate partner violence against women though prevalent , the women usually try to hide it and is thus one of the major causes of morbidity for women. Objectives: To know the prevalence of intimate partner violence among ever married women in urban area of Belagavi and to assess the psychiatric morbidity among those experiencing IPV. Methodology: The study was conducted in field practice area of Ashok nagar urban health centre area of Belagavi among 600 ever married women of reproductive age group of 15-49 years during January 2017 to December 2017. WHO based multicountry Intimate Partner Violence study questionnaire and Self Reporting Questionnaire 20 for psychiatric morbidity were used in the study. Results: Prevalence of Intimate Partner violence: 59%. Prevalence of psychiatric morbidity: 45.3%. Conclusions: Psychiatric morbidity was significantly higher in women experiencing partner violence in urban area. Preventive steps need to be taken.

Keywords

• Intimate partner violence
• psychiatric morbidity
• married women
• urban area