Intimate partner violence among women in Togo: a generalised structural equation modeling approach.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the magnitude and identify associated factors with intimate partner violence (IPV) in Togo. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Togo. PARTICIPANTS: Women of reproductive age (15-49 years). PRIMARY OUTCOME: Intimate partner violence. METHODS: This study used data from the 2013 Togolese Demographic and Health Survey. A total of 4910 married or partnered women were included. A Generalised Structural Equation Model (GSEM) was performed to identify significant factors associated with IPV. Results of the GSEM were reported as adjusted ORs (aOR) with their corresponding 95% CIs. RESULTS: The pooled prevalence of IPV was 35.5% (95% CI 34.2% to 36.8%). Emotional violence and physical violence were the most reported forms of IPV (29.7% and 20.2%, respectively), while sexual violence was the least common, with a prevalence of 7.5%. Additionally, the results indicated that the following factors related to women, men and households were significantly associated with IPV in Togo ethnicity, region, religion, wealth index, working status, age at the first union, having attitudes toward wife-beating, participation in household decision-making, education level, alcohol use and controlling behaviour. CONCLUSION: IPV is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon in Togo. The Togo government as well as women's human rights organisations should consider these factors when designing IPV programmes.