Intimate Partner Violence and Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Women in Sub-Saharan Africa

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health issue that increases risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Data was obtained from women (n = 32,409) who completed the Demographic Health Survey's (DHS) domestic violence module in 7 countries in sub-Saharan Africa between 2011 and 2015. DHS questions assessed lifetime physical, emotional and sexual IPV, cumulative exposure to IPV as well as the presence of a STI in the past 12 months. Multivariate logistic regression examined the association between IPV and STIs adjusting for potentially influential covariates. Data were weighted and analyzed using STATA Software (version 14.0). Women who had experienced physical, emotional sexual and cumulative IPV were significantly more likely to have had a STIs in the past 12 months. In order to reduce the burden of STIs, initiatives may need to address underlying mechanisms such as gender norms and power inequalities which perpetuate IPV.

Automated summary

Women who have experienced physical, emotional, sexual and cumulative intimate partner violence (IPV) are significantly more likely to have sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the past 12 months. Initiatives to reduce the burden of STIs may need to address underlying mechanisms such as gender norms and power inequalities that perpetuate IPV.