Intimate partner violence among pregnant women and women attending out-patient services in Thailand: a longitudinal study

Abstract

The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence and analyze the pattern of intimate partner violence over six months. This was a cohort study undertaken on 207 women aged 18 to 49 years, who consulted in general out-patient and antenatal care clinics in nine hospitals in central Thailand. The women were interviewed four times (baseline, 2, 4 and 6 months) using a questionnaire. Results indicate that over time intimate partner violence decreased in the areas of psychological violence, physical violence, sexual violence and danger. In multivariate Gamma linear regression analyses based on generalized estimating equations (GEE), younger age, having one or more children, depression symptoms and the utilization of social services for intimate partner violence were associated with physical violence. Further, younger age, having one or more children, having post-secondary education, low economic household situation, depression symptoms and having left the partner were associated with danger. Moreover, younger age, depression symptoms and the utilization of social services for intimate partner violence were associated with psychological violence. The study found that various forms of intimate partner violence decreased overtime without having utilized specific partner violence services such as the One-Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC).