Spousal violence against pregnant women from a Bedouin community in Jordan

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of spousal violence against pregnant women during their current pregnancy and investigate factors related to violence.

A cross-sectional survey was performed with 303 pregnant women who attended antenatal clinics in Al-Mafraq, northern desert of Jordan.

The prevalence of violence (any type) during pregnancy was 40.9%. Physical violence was the highest (34.7 %), followed by psychologic violence (28.1%) and sexual violence (15.5%). Women who resided in the city (odds ratio [OR] 1.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05-2.79), had six or more pregnancies including the current one (OR 5.4, 95% CI 1.45-20.0), had four or more female children (OR 4.03, 95% CI 1.3- 11.9) and were under pressure to have a male child (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.07- 3.08) were more likely to be exposed to violence during pregnancy.

This study attempted to shed light on some of the cultural dimensions behind spousal violence, especially preference for male children. This study is important to the Jordanian and Arab communities in their efforts to protect women's rights and in designing interventions against domestic and spousal violence.