INDIVIDUAL AND JOINT INFLUENCE OF COMMUNITY'S WIFE-BEATING ACCEPTABILITY AND EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ON INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AMONG MARRIED WOMEN IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Globally, approximately one-third of women in relationship have experienced violence committed by their intimate partner. Attitude towards intimate partner violence has been identified as one of the strongest risk factors for IPV as women having tolerance for IPV are more likely to experience IPV. On the other hand, higher female level of education has been associated with the reduced occurrence of IPV. In Nigeria, IPV is a well-recognised societal as well as a public health problem, however most studies dwell only on individual level factors. This study aimed at determining the influences of female education and women's acceptability of wife-beating at the community and individual levels as well as their statistical interaction on the risk of IPV. The study was a secondary analysis of the Domestic Violence module of the 2013 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey using a sample size of 20378 married women aged 15-49 years old. Random effects variances and fixed effects (odds ratios) were estimated using five multi-level logistic regression models to assess the effects of community and individual level education, acceptability of wife-beating, and a cross-level interaction of community acceptability of wife-beating and woman's education on current and life-time IPV. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multi-level logistic regression (a.=0.05). The mean age of the women was 30.9 years(± 9 years standard deviation), 64% had primary or no education and almost two-fifth justified wife-beating. A prevalence of 20% and 24% for current and life-time IPV, respectively, was found among married women. Community level education (current IPV AOR =1.058; 95% CI-1.022,1.096; life-time IPV AOR=1.066; 95% CI-1.030,1.104) and acceptability of wife-beating (current IPV AOR=1.356; 95% CI- 1.219,1.507; life-time IPV AOR=1.386; 95% CI-1.25,1.54) were both significant positive predictors of both forms of IPV; individual woman's education had a non-linear significant effect on IPV while a significant statistical cross-level interaction was found between the community-level acceptability of wife-beating and woman's education for life-time IPV (AOR = 1.013; 95% CI-1.001,1.024). Intimate partner violence was less prominent among married women with no formal education and those with tertiary education at the individual level. Women living in communities with higher community-levels of acceptability of wife-beating are more prone to intimate partner violence. Also, intimate partner violence increased with increasing community level acceptability of wife-beating even when individual female education is high. Improving female education at the individual level to an appreciable level and reducing the tolerance of the society to wife-mistreatment is imperative for a targeted intervention in reducing IPV to be successful.