EXPERIENCE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN RURAL AND URBAN AREAS OF NIGER DELTA REGION OF NIGERIA: RISK FACTORS, HELP-SEEKING RESOURCES AND COPING STRATEGIES

BACKGROUND: Risk factors and coping strategies employed for domestic violence across rural and urban locales remains a topical public health concern. Geographic locations experiencing other forms of violence may contribute additional risk factors to domestic violence. METHODOS: A cross-sectional study design was used to determine and compare the risk factors, help-resources and coping strategies employed by survivors of domestic violence living in rural and urban areas of the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. Altogether 461 (225 rural, 236 urban) pregnant women participated. Statistical analysis was carried out with SPSS version 21 with p ≤0.05. RESULTS: Predictors of violence identified were: geographical location, residing in a rural area (OR 2.052 95% C.I. 1.349 - 3.122) and alcohol intake by pregnant women (OR 1.691; 95% C.I. 1.022 - 2.798) increased the risk of domestic violence while intimate partner’s occupation, being a professional was a protective factor (OR 0.513 95% C.I. 0.327 - 0.806). Less than half of the respondents in both locations (rural 44.0% versus urban 35.2%) sought for help following incidents of violence. Fewer rural (3.1%) than urban (10.7%) of them sought for formal help from the police. The main coping strategy used was ‘keeping silent’ by 69.4% rural compared to 46.4% urban survivors and the main reason given, was to avoid family disharmony. CONCLUSION: There is urgent need for relevant stakeholders to institute measures to reduce domestic violence especially in rural areas of developing countries and establish well-linked help resource centres across both rural and urban localities.