Prevalence and associated factors of intimate partner violence amongst women attending prevention of mother to child transmission services in Blantyre, Malawi

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) during the perinatal period and when one is HIV-positive is a great concern because of the physical and mental impacts it has on health and on adherence to prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) services. However, factors associated with IPV amongst perinatal women on PMTCT services are not adequately explored in Malawi. The aim of this study was to estimate the various types of IPV and the associated factors amongst HIV-positive pregnant and postnatal women in selected health centres in Blantyre district. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 200 HIV-positive women from antenatal, postnatal and antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinics from four selected primary care facilities of Blantyre district. Data were collected between March and May 2018. RESULTS: A total of 50% of the participants reported to have experienced either physical, psychological or sexual violence from their partner in the last 12 months. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that feelings about safety of the relationship and depression were the only factors that were consistently associated with IPV in the last 12 months (p = 0.001, Pseudo R2 = 0.20). CONCLUSION: The presence of depression and safety concerns amongst our study participants calls for serious prioritisation of psychological interventions and risk assessment in the management of HIV-positive perinatal mothers who report IPV cases.