Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) includes any physical, sexual, or emotional harm experienced in any
intimate relationship that results in negative outcomes. Zambia is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of
IPV amongst women in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aims to investigate and describe the prevalence, associated risk
factors, and geo-spatial distribution of IPV amongst women aged 15–49 years from the 2018 Zambia Demographic
and Health Survey (ZDHS).
METHODS: This study is a secondary data analysis of the 2018 ZDHS, which used the women’s individual dataset to
extract a representative sample of 9 503 women from the domestic violence module. Analyses were adjusted using
survey weights to account for unequal sampling probabilities. The bivariate and multivariable logistic regression
models were applied to determine the factors associated with IPV. Stata MP version 14 was used to perform all
analyses and QGIS software was used to map the geospatial distribution of IPV across provinces.
RESULTS: The overall IPV prevalence amongst women aged 15–49 years in this study was 36.5% (95%CI: 34.9 to 38.2),
with Muchinga province having the highest prevalence at 55.2% (95% CI 50.4 to 59.8) and North western with the
lowest prevalence at 22.6% (95% CI 19.9 to 25.6). In the adjusted analyses, women who justified wife beating were at
a higher odds of experiencing IPV compared to those who did not (aOR=1.75; 95% CI: 1.37 to 2.25; p<0.001). Women
with husbands or partners who consume alcohol were at higher odds of experiencing IPV (aOR=3.81; 95% CI: 3.21
to 4.53; p<0.001). The study also found that women who reported witnessing parental violence from their father to
mother had increased odds of experiencing IPV (aOR=1.75, 95% CI: 1.45 to 2.12; p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: This study has shown that women who witnessed parental violence from father to mother, justified
wife beating, or had partners who consumed alcohol, had increased odds of experiencing IPV in Zambia. There is need to tailor interventions that address the cessation of alcohol consumption, and the promotion of awareness and
education on IPV and its associated harms, especially in hot spot provinces.
