Intimate partner violence among Jordanian pregnant women and its predictors

Aim: To determine and compare the level of prevalence of intimate partner violence

(IPV) at 12 months before pregnancy and during pregnancy and to identify the pre-
dictors of physical IPV.

Design: A cross-sectional, correlational design was used for data collection and
analysis.
Methods: Convenience sampling was used to recruit 247 women for the study. The
women's IPV experience was measured by the Arabic version of the World Health
Organization's Domestic Violence Questionnaire Screening Tool.
Results: The women reported that they experienced substantial levels of different
types of IPV during pregnancy: 93.1% control, 66% psychological, 31.2% physical

and 8.9% sexual. The levels of psychological, physical and sexual IPV during preg-
nancy were statistically significantly lower than those before pregnancy. In the case

of physical IPV, women's age and verbal fighting were independent positive predic-
tors, while women's educational level, husbands' educational level and level of mutual

understanding were independent negative predictors. It is therefore recommended
that policymakers focus on providing marital advice and marriage counselling and on
empowering women by education in order to tackle IPV during pregnancy.