Intimate Partners Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa: Review of Risk Factors and Impacts

Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) against women is one of the most known public health concerns. The depth of the problem varies across regions and different settings. The purpose of this scooping review is to assess the overall prevalence and risk factors of IPV in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Methods: The review was conducted based on 24 articles selected from PubMed and google search. The selection considered only those conducted in SSA based on a representative sample size of women of reproductive age (15-49), published in peer-reviewed journals in the last ten years, and those having resemblance in study design and conceptualization of IPV.

Results: While slight methodological variations exist among the individual studies, nearly all the reported prevalence of IPV were unacceptably high. The lifetime experience of IPV ranged from about 20% in some societies to more than 75% in other settings. Physical and emotional violence were the most frequently reported type of IPV. One common feature of all studies reviewed is that they all recognized the important role of women’s attitude (acceptance) towards their experience of IPV. Good proportion (ranging between 33-57%) of women justified IPV more often than men do. The studies further documented a wide range of risk factors associated with IPV, more importantly, low maternal and paternal education, partner's alcohol drinking behavior, childhood experience of domestic violence, and certain household and community/cultural factors.

Conclusion: Given considerable proportion of women experienced one or more forms of IPV in most settings in SSA, national and local governments have a long way to go in preventing or reducing its occurrence in their geographic areas if they must meet SDG 3 (i.e., better health of children and women). Since IPV is embedded in most cultures; concerned authorities should establish appropriate norms, enhance women's status, and ensure proper implementation of policies and laws on abuse. Community reflections, mass education/ behavioral change communications are essential in this endeavor.