TITLE:
Gender-Based Violence among Pregnant Women Consulting at the Antenatal Care Unit of the Bamenda Regional Hospital
AUTHORS:
Dobgima Walter Pisoh, Samje Moses, Berinyuy Zyh Akumawah, Dohbit Julius Sama, Ako Fidelis Atabon, Pascal Foumane
KEYWORDS:
Gender-Based Violence, Prevalence, Associated Factors
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.10 No.11,
November
13,
2020
ABSTRACT: Background: Gender-based violence is violence against men and women in which the
woman is more likely to be the victim. Globally, one in every four women is
physically or sexually abused during pregnancy. The main objective was to study
gender-based violence among pregnant women attending antenatal care at the
Bamenda Regional Hospital (BRH). Methods: We carried out a hospital-based cross-sectional study among 231 pregnant women
at the antenatal care unit of the BRH from January to March 2018. The study
included all women who gave a written informed consent. A questionnaire adapted
from the WHO multi-country study was used to collect data on sociodemographic
characteristics, aspects of gender-based violence (GBV), and data for other
associated factors were collected by face-to-face interview. Data were analysed
using SPSS version 23.0. Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were used to
compare frequencies. Student t-test was used to compare means. Binary
logistic regression analysis and multivariate analysis were used to eliminate
confounders. The level of statistical significance was set at p Results: A total of 56.3% (n =
130) of pregnant women involved in the study were found to be survivors of GBV.
Psychological trauma, physical assault and sexual violence were found in 47.2%,
30.2% and 19.9% respectively. Depression and anxiety were the most frequent
clinical manifestations. Only 37.7% of the survivors sought management. The
factors statistically associated with the occurrence of GBV were: for physical
violence a partner that smokes; for sexual violence a history of sexual assault
on the survivor as a child, a primary level of education of the partner, and a
partner that is alcoholic; for psychological violence a history of sexual
assault on the survivor as a child, a primary level of education of the
partner, and a partner that is alcoholic. After adjusting for confounders,
having a partner with only a primary education had a statistically significant
association [3.610 (1.431 - 9.091), p = 0.007] with the occurrence of GBV. Conclusion: GBV is a key health
risk among pregnant women consulting at the ANC unit of the Bamenda Regional
Hospital and proper education of the partner is primordial in its prevention.