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Intimate Partner Violence and Contraceptive Behaviour: Evidence from Malawi and Zambia
Authors: Somefun Dolapo Oluwaseyi, and Ibisomi Latifat
Source: Southern African Journal of Demography, 16(1): 123-150
Topic(s): Contraception
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Country: Africa
  Malawi
  Zambia
Published: JUN 2015
Abstract: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a form of violence perpetrated by men or women against their spouses or partners. It is a frequent form of gender violence globally and in sub-Saharan Africa. IPV has been associated with a range of negative health outcomes such as still birth, premature delivery, low birth weight, high risk of STI, low use of maternal health care and unintended pregnancies for women and their children. Other consequences include low self-esteem, strained relationships with health providers and employers, isolation from social networks and fear of intimacy. This paper seeks to determine the association between IPV and contraceptive behaviour among women in Malawi and Zambia. Data was sourced from nationally representative samples of 5 234 women in Malawi (2010) and 4 115 women in Zambia (2007) all aged 15–49. The binary and multinomial logistic regression modelling were applied to examine the unadjusted and adjusted influence of intimate partner violence on contraceptive use and method choice. Results showed that 43% and 38% of women in Malawi and Zambia, respectively, were using contraceptives while 22% of women in Malawi and 43% in Zambia reported experience of IPV. There was no statistically significant association between experience of IPV and contraceptive use in the two countries. In terms of contraceptive choice, women who experienced IPV had a higher likelihood of choosing traditional methods relative to no methods in Malawi and lower likelihood of choosing traditional methods relative to no methods in Zambia. Keywords: Intimate partner Violence, Contraceptive Use, Contraceptive Method Choice
Web: http://www.unisa.ac.za/contents/faculties/ems/docs/2015%20SAJD%20Article5.pdf