Association between intimate partner violence & HIV/AIDS: Exploring the pathways in Indian context

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Violence against women is a global human rights violation, often under-recognized across socio-economic strata.
• Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and its links to health outcomes like HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) require further investigation in diverse populations.
• Understanding the prevalence and predictors of IPV is crucial for targeted public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) among ever-married women in India.
• To identify key predictors associated with the experience of IPV.
• To examine the association between IPV and HIV/AIDS and STI status in this population.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the third round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) conducted in 2005–2006.
• Analyzed data from ever-married women, linking individual-level information on violence experiences with HIV test results.
• Employed multivariate logistic regression to identify significant predictors of IPV.

Main Results:

• Lifetime prevalence of IPV was reported at 35.3% among Indian ever-married women.
• Predictors of IPV included younger age, higher parity, lower education (woman and partner), female employment, spousal age gap, rural residence, husband's alcohol use, witnessing parental violence, nuclear households, and lower standard of living.
• Women with HIV-positive status and those from high HIV-prevalence states showed increased odds of experiencing IPV.

Conclusions:

• The high prevalence of IPV in India underscores its significance as a public health issue.
• Significantly higher reporting of HIV/STIs among women experiencing IPV suggests a strong link between violence and sexual health outcomes.
• Findings highlight the need for integrated approaches addressing violence and sexual health to mitigate HIV transmission and improve women's well-being.