Prevalence and Factors Associated with Intimate Partner Physical Violence Among Pregnant Women in Rwanda

Intimate partner physical violence (IPPV) during pregnancy is a public health concern and a breach of human rights. Physical violence has major consequences for the mother, fetus, and newborn child. This study aimed at investigating the prevalence and factors associated with IPPV among pregnant women in Rwanda.

This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the Rwanda Demographic Health Survey 2019-2020. A total of 1,849 women aged 15-49 years were included in this study. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the prevalence and frequency of different attributes while a multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with IPPV among pregnant women. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were used to report the magnitude of the association between different variables and IPPV among pregnant women. Stata 16 was used for analysis and survey commands were applied to all analyses.

The prevalence of IPPV among pregnant women in Rwanda was 4.5% and the associated factors were the partner's alcohol drinking habits, drinks and sometimes gets drunk (AOR 3.68, 95% CI (1.3-10.1), drinks and gets drunk often (AOR 14.67, 95% CI (5.2-41.4), number of living children 3-5 (AOR 2.64 95% CI (1.2-5.6), and polygamous couple (AOR 2.81 95% CI (1.2-6.4).

IPPV against pregnant women is still present in Rwanda. Having a male partner that drinks alcohol and gets drunk, polygamy, and having 3-5 children were factors associated with this IPPV. It is important to address the issue of substance abuse, refine social norms, and attitudes that promote gender inequalities through several stereotypes in families, empower women, and encourage them to use contraceptives. These findings emphasize the need for evidence-based policies and integration of prevention measures in the maternal health services to prevent IPPV against mothers and protect their unborn children.