title: Prevalence and Health Impact of Intimate Partner Violence and Non-partner Sexual Violence Among Female Adolescents Aged 15-19 Years in Vulnerable Urban Environments: A Multi-Country Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Globally, adolescent women are at risk for gender-based violence (GBV) including sexual violence and intimate partner violence (IPV). Those in economically distressed settings are considered uniquely vulnerable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female adolescents aged 15-19 from Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New Delhi, India; Ibadan, Nigeria; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Shanghai, China (n = 1,112) were recruited via respondent-driven sampling to participate in a cross-sectional survey. We describe the prevalence of past-year physical and sexual IPV, and lifetime and past-year non-partner sexual violence. Logistic regression models evaluated associations of GBV with substance use, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, and self-rated health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among ever-partnered women, past-year IPV prevalence ranged from 10.2% in Shanghai to 36.6% in Johannesburg. Lifetime non-partner sexual violence ranged from 1.2% in Shanghai to 12.6% in Johannesburg. Where sufficient cases allowed additional analyses (Baltimore and Johannesburg), both IPV and non-partner sexual violence were associated with poor health across domains of substance use, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, and self-rated health; associations varied across study sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant heterogeneity was observed in the prevalence of IPV and non-partner sexual violence among adolescent women in economically distressed urban settings, with upwards of 25% of ever-partnered women experiencing past-year IPV in Baltimore, Ibadan, and Johannesburg, and more than 10% of adolescent women in Baltimore and Johannesburg reporting non-partner sexual violence. Findings affirm the negative health influence of GBV even in disadvantaged urban settings that present a range of competing health threats. A multisectoral response is needed to prevent GBV against young women, mitigate its health impact, and hold perpetrators accountable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address: mdecker@jhsph.edu.
authors.forename: Michele R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Decker
authors.affiliation: Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peitzmeier
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan/University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Adesola
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olumide
authors.affiliation: Population Council, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Rajib
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Acharya
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan/University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Oladosu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ojengbede
authors.affiliation: Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Covarrubias
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Ersheng
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Wits Reproductive Health & HIV Institute, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
authors.forename: Sinead
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Delany-Moretlwe
authors.affiliation: Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Heena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brahmbhatt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008603:Mental Health / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health / Q000191:economics; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescent; Intimate partner violence; Sexual violence