Intimate partner violence and relationship quality among pregnant women: insights from a multi-centre study

Intimate partner violence presents a complex dilemma that significantly impacts the well-being of women, particularly during pregnancy. This issue often arises from a dysfunctional relationship, characterised by inadequate emotional connections and poor-quality interactions between partners. The study identifies the interaction of intimate partner violence and the quality of the relationship between partners. A multi-centred, descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study, in which 460 consenting pregnant women attending antenatal and postnatal care at the respective health facilities in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, General Hospital Ifako Ijaye, Primary Health centre Onigbogbo and were consecutively recruited over a six-month period An adapted questionnaire from the WHO Multi-Country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence and Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS) to measure the quality of marital relationships. Behavioural violence was the most commonly reported, affecting 16.1% of respondents. Psychological violence was experienced by 12.9% of the participants, while 5.3% reported physical violence. Economic and sexual violence were reported by 4.6% and 4.3% of participants, respectively. Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), which includes cohesion, consensus, and satisfaction components. Cohesion, 55.2% of participants had high scores, 26.1% scored in the mid-range, and 18.7% were classified as low. Regarding consensus, 73.6% of respondents were in the high range, 17.5% in the mid-range, and 8.9% in the low range. For satisfaction, 79.6% of respondents reported high satisfaction, while 13.7% and 6.7% fell into the mid and low satisfaction categories, respectively. Religion, education level, and experiences of sexual, physical, and psychological violence show strong associations with distress in pregnant women. These insights emphasize the complex intersection of sociocultural context and intimate partner dynamics, particularly during vulnerable periods like pregnancy.