title: What factors are associated with recent intimate partner violence? findings from the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a global public health and human rights concern. Despite a growing body of research into risk factors for IPV, methodological differences limit the extent to which comparisons can be made between studies. We used data from ten countries included in the WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence to identify factors that are consistently associated with abuse across sites, in order to inform the design of IPV prevention programs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Standardised population-based household surveys were done between 2000 and 2003. One woman aged 15-49 years was randomly selected from each sampled household. Those who had ever had a male partner were asked about their experiences of physically and sexually violent acts. We performed multivariate logistic regression to identify predictors of physical and/or sexual partner violence within the past 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Despite wide variations in the prevalence of IPV, many factors affected IPV risk similarly across sites. Secondary education, high SES, and formal marriage offered protection, while alcohol abuse, cohabitation, young age, attitudes supportive of wife beating, having outside sexual partners, experiencing childhood abuse, growing up with domestic violence, and experiencing or perpetrating other forms of violence in adulthood, increased the risk of IPV. The strength of the association was greatest when both the woman and her partner had the risk factor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IPV prevention programs should increase focus on transforming gender norms and attitudes, addressing childhood abuse, and reducing harmful drinking. Development initiatives to improve access to education for girls and boys may also have an important role in violence prevention.
authors.affiliation: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1H 9SH, UK. tanya.abramsky@lshtm.ac.uk
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abramsky
authors.forename: Charlotte H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Watts
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garcia-Moreno
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Devries
authors.forename: Ligia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ellsberg
authors.forename: Henrica Afm
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Heise
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women; D003625:Data Collection; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012747:Sexual Partners; D014505:Urban Population; D014944:World Health Organization; D055815:Young Adult