Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Partner Characteristics, Socioeconomic Variables, and Intimate Partner Violence in Women with Schizophrenia in South-South Nigeria

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is common among patients with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia. Few surveys have explored IPV among this specific group of patients and the demographic characteristics of victims in Nigeria. The aim of this survey was to explore socio-demographic, socioeconomic characteristics of victims and partners. A cross-sectional randomized survey of 79 women with schizophrenia from a major adult psychiatric outpatient in South-south Nigeria was done. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) was used to establish the diagnosis of schizophrenia among the participants and a purposely designed questionnaire to assess IPV. The mean age of the participants was 38.3 +/- 2.8 years; the majority (73%) reported at least one form of IPV. Verbal abuse was the most (71%) prevalent form of IPV. Our findings highlight a need for proper attention to demographics of both victims and their male partners by clinicians.