PHYSICAL VIOLENCE AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG MARRIED WOMEN IN MULTAN, SOUTHERN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Background: Physical violence is considered as a routine matter and is a neglected issue in the heavily populated society of Pakistan. The study aimed to estimate the physical violence and its associated factors among married women living in the district Multan, a city of Southern Punjab, Pakistan.
Methods: A Cross-Sectional study was conducted among 375 married women living in the community of six towns of Multan. The data was collected from March 2013 to May 2013, through a questionnaire, based on the World Health Organization Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Life Experiences of Violence against Women. A univariate and multivariate analyses were recorded.
Results: Out of 375 women surveyed, 62.93% reported physical violence. In the univariate analysis, women's age (28-60 years), women's occupation (non-professional,) and family categories, (combined/extended) were found to be significant, at 95% confidence interval (CI). In multivariate analysis, women's employment status, as non-earning (OR; 0.57CI:0.33, 0.98) was significant in last year, and in life time multivariate analysis, husband's nonprofessional status (OR; 1.06; CI: 0.635 1, 0.793) and women's non-earning status (OR; 0.57; CI: 0.33, 0.98) became significant. The combined family system (OR; 1.795, CI: 1.120, 2.878) was found to be significant in multivariate analyses.
Conclusion: Physical violence of different forms is considered as a social and cultural norm by intimate partner. There is a pressing need for appropriate mechanisms particularly in primary health care, to identify and deal with physical violence