Peer-reviewed article
Prevalence and associated factors of intimate partner violence against women in Ghana: a secondary analysis of the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey.
Shaikh MA ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study analyzed data from Ghana's 2022 Demographic and Health Survey to determine how common intimate partner violence against women is and what factors are associated with it. Over one-third of Ghanaian women aged 15-49 reported experiencing emotional, physical, and/or sexual violence from a current or recent partner. The most common form was emotional violence, but one-fifth experienced physical and/or sexual violence. Multiple factors including low education, high alcohol use by partners, acceptance of violence, and witnessing parental violence were linked to higher rates of intimate partner violence.
Key points
- 36.17% of women aged 15-49 reported lifetime experience of emotional, physical, and/or sexual intimate partner violence
- Emotional violence was the most prevalent form at 31.32%, followed by physical violence at 16.85%
- 20.62% of women reported experiencing physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence
- Associated factors include lower education levels, partner's alcohol use, women's acceptance of violence, and witnessing father's violence against mother
- High marital control by intimate partners was significantly associated with intimate partner violence
Limitations
This study is a cross-sectional secondary analysis of survey data, so it can identify associations but cannot establish causation or determine the direction of effects. The data relies on self-reported measures of sensitive behaviours, which may be subject to underreporting or recall bias.
Abstract
Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health problem and a violation of human rights that affects nearly half of humanity. It inflicts both physical and emotional suffering, imposing an avoidable and preventable burden on health systems and societies. Methods This study used de-identified data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey to conduct a secondary analysis on the lifetime prevalence of IPV and its associated factors. IPV was defined as violence committed by the current or most recent husband or male intimate partner. The analysis involved twelve socio-demographic and related attributes among women aged 15-49 years. Bivariate analysis was performed using simple binary logistic regression models to identify statistically significant factors. These were then used in the multivariable binary logistic regression model to determine their associations with IPV. Results Overall, 36.17% of women reported having experienced emotional, physical, and/or sexual violence from a current or most recent husband or intimate partner. The most common form of IPV was emotional violence, affecting 31.32% of respondents, followed by physical violence at affecting 16.85%. In total, 20.62% of women reported to have experienced physical and/or sexual IPV. The educational levels of both the woman and her intimate partner, number of living children, her acceptance of IPV, her partner's alcohol use, awareness of her father having ever beaten her mother, and the level of marital control exerted by her intimate partner were statistically significant association with IPV in the multivariable logistic regression model. Conclusion IPV is associated with multiple complex factors. About 1.8 women out of every five women in Ghana have experienced IPV in their lifetime. These findings emphasize the urgent need for effective public health and economic strategies to reduce this preventable form of violence for women in Ghana.