NCJ Number
201583
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 9 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2003 Pages: 989-1002
Date Published
August 2003
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) among women of reproductive age in El Alto and La Paz, Bolivia; to examine the relationship between IPV and various sociodemographic characteristics; and to investigate the extent to which women who use reproductive health services also report having experienced IPV.
Abstract
The data were obtained from a longitudinal study conducted in 1997; the study's primary objective was to examine the impact of fertility regulation on childbearing and employment patterns between 1994 and 1997. Of the 1,308 women interviewed in 1994, 837 (64 percent) were located in 1997, and 816 (62 percent) were reinterviewed. Questions about IPV were asked of women who were then married or in a consensual union or had been in a union. The analysis was restricted to the 607 women who answered these questions. The questionnaire also contained questions regarding age, education, marital status, residence, employment, and number of live births. Women were also asked whether they had ever used any reproductive health services, as well as their use of these services in the past 12 months. They were also queried about specific types of such services. Thirty-seven percent of the women interviewed reported having experienced lifetime IPV. Of these, 42 percent reported that the violence had occurred often. Using logistic regression, the study examined the independent effect of partner violence on the use of reproductive health care services, controlling for various socioeconomic factors. Women who had ever used reproductive health services were more likely to be better educated than women who had never used such services; partner violence was not associated with the use of reproductive health services. Women with lower levels of education were the most likely to report IPV; thus, a facility-based intervention designed to identify and assist women with a history of partner violence will be limited to those women who avail themselves of the services. Other interventions will be necessary to access and assist women who do not seek reproductive health services. This article offers recommendations for any reproductive health program considering training their workers to screen clients for IPV. Such training might enable providers in Bolivia to better serve their clients and could benefit women who are victims of IPV. A pilot project is recommended. 2 tables and 36 references